Archana’s making process involves collecting old memory artefacts such as photographs and maps then deconstructing them to re-use as threads. Archana’s is born of British and Indian heritage, and she specialises in stitch and fine art textiles.
Vintage maps used as the foundation of the work
Having been raised in India and now living in London, the uprooting and the subsequent re-rooting have been transformative, and the origin of the exhibited work lies in this. This exhibition reveals the evolution of her work, which follows the threads of transient boundaries and belongingness.
Re-imagined landscapes are inspired by the cycle of a day and are a harmonious representation of co-existence, multiplicity, and connectedness.
I’m pleased to announce that Summer ’76 is part of the UnEarthed exhibition curated by Week 45 Collective. The exhibition is open 31st July to 5th August 2023 at 54 The Gallery, Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London.
UnEarthed Exhibition poster – Image by Helena Butler, Moon on the Thames 2022
The mixed-media exhibition takes place at The Leeds Playhouse, Leeds, West Yorkshire, 22 July – 7 Sept 2023.
Sound of the Kenwood Chef
We received over 500 submissions from 150 artists and 77 works by 54 artists have been selected by the panel.
Courtney Spencer
Giant Cauliflower Harvest
2023 Leeds Summer Group Show
The 2023 Leeds Summer Group Show is an eclectic exhibition showcasing talent from across the UK. This annual exhibition was started in 2015 by Courtney Spencer, and this year she will be co-curating the show with Helen Dryden, an artist and curator based in Leeds. They were joined on the selection panel by Nigel Walsh, the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art for Leeds Museums & Galleries, based at Leeds Art Gallery.
The show’s selection panel
Nigel Walsh is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art for Leeds Museums & Galleries, based at Leeds Art Gallery. He joined the team in 1986 as its first dedicated Exhibitions Curator, after training with the Scottish Art Council in Glasgow following a degree in English Studies and Fine Art (History of Art) from a Scottish University. Until very recently he was Chair of Trustees of the Ilkley Literature Festival where he’d been a member of the Board for 20 years.
Helen Dryden is a Leeds based visual artist who works primarily in painting and is the curator of Compact Contemporary Gallery which is housed in her studio at Sunny Bank Mills. She has an MA in Curation Practices from Leeds Arts University and a BA(Hons) in Graphic Arts and Design from Leeds Beckett University.
Courtney Spencer is an Australian artist, curator and collaborator. She was the director of an arts charity for five years, began the Leeds Summer Group Show in 2015 and is the founder of The Art Court which works to support artists and collectors in the North of England. She has worked with organisations including National Trust; The Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate; S1 Artspace, Sheffield; Leeds Playhouse; and The Old Parcels Office, Scarborough. She also writes a monthly column called Snooping Through Studios for The State Of The Arts.
Update:
Exhibition images courtesy of curator Helen Dryden.
