Dulwich OnView has an article by SLWA Artist Sue Blandford.

“I am interested in ordinary objects that appear somehow magical or different to normal either because they are in an unexpected context or with other things that together seem to tell a story, poetic juxtapositions. A glimpse of an everyday object that takes on another meaning.” More here

Virtual Biology ( coloured)

Genre:
Primary categories: 2D: Photography – Print
Secondary categories:4D: Animation

Artist statement:
An artist of Austrian and Moroccan descent, a funambulist between photography, moving image and poetry.Performing an investigation of the perception and questioning relationship between the self, the body and the surrounding world.Asking questions, in words and in images.I am trying to address that short space of time just before that moment we come conscious, when the nerve is touched before consciousness, tap in that prelude to leave a trace.

The body has a strong presence in my work – the common denominator of the two worlds I am in – Arts world and Fitness /Boxing ( being a Personal trainer and very interested in physiology and biochemistry and holistic training) and lately Muay thai and Fight MMA world where I train and I shoot.

I am interested in the question of the gaze, the play between the image, the photograph, the viewer’s perception and reality.

Contact :

Malika@sqalli.com
www.sqalli.com
www.photography.sqalli.com
www.JabSnap.com
www.sizezerotogo.com
www.presumedguilty.org

CV:
Represented by Delartchhezvous.com in Paris.

Exhibitions in 2009
Round One – photography exhibition – Sept – Oct 2009 at KO Bethnal Green – available to see at jabsnap.com
Sydenham July 2009
Sydenham festival
2009 has been a year more focussed on private shoots and fight shoots
One example in LA was the shoot and design of book cover for Norwood Young
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZZAON3nt0Q
http://sqalli.com/mail/youngwood/norwood.html

Further examples of work

Tensions ( hands)

Don’t worry ( girl on boat)

Sinbad II, oil on paper 80×80cm 2007 (photo A Margulescu)

Genre: 2D painting

Statement:
Time is the substance I am made of. Time ….is fire which consumes me, but I am the fire. (J L Borges ‘A new refutation of Time’, Labyrinths)

Ilinca Cantacuzino’s work constantly explores the paradox of ‘time’: the co-existence of linear day-to-day time alongside the ever-constant present.
A tension arises between the orchestrated, and the unpredictable. She uses paint alongside the effects of fire.
‘Inevitably, the process involves a degree of danger. Although fire can lead to destruction it may equally result in the creation of something new – note the way the mythical phoenix rose from the ashes, and in nature, the way the eucalyptus tree regenerates.’

Contact:
info@ilinca.co.uk

www.ilinca.co.uk

CV:
Having studied English at Warwick University, Ilinca worked as a glass designer for Johnny Grey Designs, moving into freelance fabric design (co-partner in Cantacuzino Rae). She was art co-ordinator for the Dulwich Festival in 1990s. In 2001 she completed a BA at Camberwell College of Arts. Since then she has shown in numerous group shows and regular solo shows in London. She was co-director of ArtDog (2003-5), and co-organised the Salon des Refusés for the Friends of DPG Summer Exhibition 2006. 2007-09 she took an exhibition of her work and that of her grandfather, ‘In the Blood’ around Romania to ten different cities. She held workshops, seminars and gave talks on the value of the Muse/mentor in artistic practice.
http://www.londongrip.com/LondonGrip/Art_in_Romania_by_Teresa_Howard.html

Ilinca also writes, eg reviews for art shows for A-N magazine and Arhitectura (Romania), and in 2007 she wrote monthly on Buddhism in daily life, (Breathing Space), in the magazine Dulwich Life. She runs art classes, basing her teaching on the importance of drawing.

Collections:
My work is in private collections in UK, Eire, Switzerland, Romania and Australia; in public collections in UK, (a commission for The Forster Company), and Romania (The Casa de Cultura ‘I L Caragiale’; The Union of Artists, Iaşi; The County Council of Ploieşti Art Collection)
Currently my work can be seen at All Saints Church Artspace, Lovelace Road, West Dulwich SE21

Exhibitions: 2009
Oct 2009 Art for Youth – Mall Galleries, London
Nov 2009 RCA Secret

Exhibitions: 2010

February /March CELEBRATING WOMEN ARTISTS – Dulwich Library
April SLWA at Bankside Gallery
May ‘…that’s how the light gets in’, solo show of new work at All Saints Church Artspace, West Dulwich (Dulwich Festival)

Further examples of work

In the Meantime I ‘Meme ton ecriture’, acrylic on canvas, 70×50cm, 2009 (public collection Ploiesti)

In No Time, mixed media, 50×50cm, 2009 (private collection)

Time Continuum Map (Detail from the installation Traces and Evidence),pins,cotton,labels,drawing pen on wall, 2008

Genre:
Primary categories: 3D

Secondary categories:2D: Drawing,3D: Sculpture, Installation.

Artist statement:
Through my artistic practice I aim to engage with and explore places and the people who inhabit and interact with them.
In particular, I am interested in places of transition, change and intersection – places where multiple and parallel realities, memories, stories and imaginings exist.To tease out these stories, I engage in a process of getting to know the place and its stories. This process may take the form of conversations, collecting and cataloguing objects and fragments, archival research, taking photographs, and making drawings and tracings of incidental marks and stains left on surfaces.The findings of these investigations are then pieced together to create an installation, mapping or other form that evokes a sense of the place.

Contact details:
Email: lm_duffy@yahoo.com

Website: www.linda-duffy.com

CV:
I completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Fine Art), at the Queensland College of Art, Brisbane in 1997. I have since worked in a range of client publications and project management roles in commercial and creative contexts and have continued to maintain a practice as a visual artist. I am currently studying an MA in Cultural History at Goldsmiths, in order to develop my research skills and my ability to respond effectively and responsibly to the sources from which my work develops.
I was recently commissioned to create an installation responding to the history of Hortensia Rd in South West London. I am currently working on a commission for the Away Day event, organised by POST artists collective (www.postartists.com), planned to take place in May 2010. The event, funded by Merton Council and Arts Council England will be comprised of a series of publicly situated site-responsive artworks and performances in three parks in Merton, South London. Through a series of exhibitions with a group of peers, I am also developing a project responding to individual and collective memories of home, associated places and family.

Exhibitions 2010:
Recent Work, 4-18 March 2010, House Gallery, Camberwell, London www.house-gallery.co.uk

Away Day, May 2010, organised by POST artists collective, London, www.postartists.com

Exhibitions 2009:
ArtDog Exhibition, ArtDog Duncombe Hill, London

Inter, The Jago Gallery, London

The Waiting Room: Responses to Locations in Transition, Hortensia Gallery, London

AIR3, Morley College Gallery, London

Greenwich LIP Annuale, Viewfinder Gallery, London

Sights and Senses, Kirkdale Gallery, Sydenham Arts Festival, London

Deptford AWOL, Creekside Artists, Menier Gallery, London

Open Studio, Creekside Artists, Deptford, London

Exquisite Decay, Chateau d’Alba, Alba la Romaine, France

Further examples of work:

Time Continuum Map (from the installation Traces and Evidence)pins,cotton,labels,drawing pen on wall,2008

Traces (from the installation Traces and Evidence) 60×40cm,laser print,light box,2008

Untitled,oil,30×40cms,2002

Genre: 2d painting

Statement:
I paint mainly in oils, sometimes mixing in other media, such as lipstick, varnish and crayons. I used to be a scientist – looking down microscopes at cell structures is perhaps the origin of a lot of my work, which explores the regularities of patterns in organic subjects. Yet this figurative work tends to evolve in ways which are not planned. More recent paintings generate a timeless feel to urban landscapes and portraiture. These are a departure for me since the process involves discipline and planning to create a sense of scale and depth.

Contact:
nicola.tremain@gmail.com

CV:
I work in TV.

Future exhibitions:
Bankside Gallery,London.

Further examples of work:

Untitled,oil,30×40cms,2006

Untitled,oil,60×60cms,2009

by Susan Wood
South London Women Artists is holding an exhibition at Bankside Gallery, 28 April to 3 May.

Has Bankside anything to do with bankers?
No. It’s the other sort of bank, the river bank of the Thames.

Is it near BANK tube station?
No. Bankside is on the south bank of the river, and BANK station is north of the river.

Is there a ‘Bankside’ on both sides of the Thames?
No. Just on the south.

So does Bankside mean the waterfront area right along the length of the Thames?
No. Bankside is a settlement dating back over 6,000 years – today the area stretches from London Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge – and there’s a lot going on – see http://www.visitbankside.com/

We’ve established that BANKSIDE gallery is right by the Thames. Is it easy to find?
Yes. You can arrive by boat near the Millennium Bridge – go up from the quay to the path on the south bank and turn right, past Tate Modern and the birches. Then it’s the next building on your left, but set back a bit.

What if I’m not arriving by boat?
At the moment the nearest underground station is SOUTHWARK, on the Jubilee line. Follow the orange lampposts to the Turbine Hall entrance to Tate Modern, keep heading for the river and it’s immediately to your left. The entrance to BANKSIDE is on the river side of the building. What other tube stations are near Bankside?
LONDON BRIDGE station/underground station (Northern and Jubilee lines) is not much further away than SOUTHWARK – only about 15 minutes on foot – just walk west along the river, beyond the Golden Hinde (a reconstruction of Sir Frances Drake’s ship) and the Globe Theatre, with the Millennium Bridge on your right. Bankside is just after Tate Modern. Just before you get to the pub The Founders’ Arms.
Can I get there by bus? Yes, of course – see the Transport for London webpage to plan your own specific journey – http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

What’s usually on at BANKSIDE gallery?
It’s the home of the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and has a regular programme of exhibitions – see www.banksidegallery.com/ for more information. And there’s a great shop there too.

And when are the South London Women Artists having their exhibition at Bankside?
Funny you should ask … Wednesday 28 April till Monday 3rd May, inclusive.

How much is it?
It’s completely free!

Do I have to book to go?
No. Just turn up and enjoy it. The gallery is open from 11am – 6pm.

Roughly how many works will be on show?
About 130.

Will it just be paintings?
No, there’ll be a few 3-D works too, such as ceramics and sculptures.

See you there!

Alchemy and the everyday world: Interview with Kim Thornton
By Susan Wood
Kim Thornton is one of the eighty or so SLWA artists exhibiting at Bankside in May this year. I met her in her Camberwell studio.

Kim, I know you’re very busy organising the publicity team for the show, but how are your own preparations going?
Well, I always have several pieces on the go at the same time, so am working hard to finish some in time for the show.

What is your modus operandi?
I take everyday useful things and they end up not being useful! Some of the objects include a dustpan, a washing powder scoop, a dishwasher tablet and a dosing ball for the washing machine. Or a wooden spoon – I covered it with gold leaf then made it into a photo.
These objects then become historical objects. My work was included in the London Group 2009 exhibition and the photo of the spoon was sold at the SLWA Dulwich Library exhibition in autumn 2009.

How did you end up knitting a miniature washing machine, complete with knitted plug cover?????
In 2006 I was in the final year at Camberwell College of Art and started my first knitting piece. I’d an idea that I wanted to knit Big Ben … I thought it would be nice to have a life-size piece and to cover it with knitting (à la Christo). The underlying concept was that the Houses of Parliament is a very ‘male’ building, and to soften it I would introduce knitting.
At this time I was reading Ros Minsky’s work on the changing roles of men and women. She felt that men took on aggressive ‘acts’ for women and women took on emotional softer acts for men. As the roles were changing, women didn’t need men so much so the men were having to deal with emotional matters themselves. I started with a miniature Big Ben and then knitted other iconic buildings, made them into a knitted landscape and then photographed it.

Knitty City (Indigo), Lambda print, 84 x 106 cm

Would you call it an installation?
No, but I like the idea of taking the work to another level. People want to see the actual objects, but can’t. It wasn’t that I was particularly fond of knitting (I’d hate to knit a jumper!), but making everyday things into precious objects became more and more important to me.

What materials do you use in your knitting?
I’ve made a pair of swimming trunks out of tumble dryer fluff – one single wearer for them!
Or used teabags. I tend to collect things – I once took apart an old mop, made big balls of ‘wool’, then made it into a cloak. This was part of the ‘Life Stages’ series.

Where do you work?
In September 2006 I got a studio very near Camberwell College. When I first went there it felt cold and lonely, and I wasn’t used to the idea of being all on my own. I sat sewing my used shopping lists into parts of Stonehenge. There was a lot of repetitive work – I could have done it at home, but psychologically it was easier in the studio where there were no distractions. Usually I spend three days a week in my studio; I sew or knit all day, but am usually multi-tasking, with several projects on the go at once, such as Picasso’s jacket.

You said you like to use found objects – what exactly was ‘Picasso’s jacket’?

Picasso’s jacket, Deconstructed jacket, fabric & thread, 186 x 114cm

It was an old suit jacket that I deconstructed; I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be funny if I took it apart … so I started laying it out and it just grew. Grew into something spontaneously. As for the shape, once it was finished I stood back and looked at it and joked with a friend – Oh, look, I’ve made a Picasso! And that was how I gave it the title.

What then?
After that I looked to see what else I had, and found a handbag and unpicked it. I used everything, including the lining, the handles, and even the zip. Once it was taken apart it didn’t lie completely flat – that’s where you try to make it into something pleasing. The bag had fantastic handles and that really made the image, and I then had the picture in my head.

Picasso’s woman, Deconstructed handbag, fabric & thread, 74 x 89cm

This seemed to be developing into a preoccupation?
Yes. I did a series called ‘Forbidden Places’. First I took a glossy photo then stitched into it using surgical sutures – some were done with fishing line and some with thread. For that I used actual stitches used by surgeons – such as ‘continuous mattress’, ‘mattress stitch’, or ‘simple interrupted’ or ‘vertical mattress’.
My previous handbag works were called ‘Secret Spaces’, and for the individual works I chose euphemisms for vagina such as ‘growler’, ‘bizzle’, ‘oyster’ or ‘velvet box’. The idea was to question the way that men intervene in events to do with women and control them. I was thinking of female circumcision and how the titles of my works were important in a subversive way. I liked the idea that these lovely names all meant vagina.
With the ‘Forbidden Places’ series all the names of the works will be based on archaic or now rarely used words for tart or whore. In terms of technique, the works were based on the idea of samplers. Historically, samplers were introduced to keep women at home, but the messages I transmit are not the sort that nice and well-behaved women would sew. The irony was that a man (the surgeon) is the one who stitches up the woman.
Maybe it’s actually about ‘hidden’ places as well as forbidden ones. There are secret spaces and forbidden places, and my work was about the idea that it wasn’t quite acceptable to show women being controlled sexually by men, but now the tables are turning a bit and and the roles are different.

Thanks very much for your time, Kim. That was fascinating. Contrasts seem important to you. We started by talking about transforming everyday objects into precious things. But your images aren’t necessarily sugary-sweet. There’s often a black side, a kind of bridge between the playful and the serious, a way of bringing up serious themes in an ironic way.

NB.  Do watch the SLWA website for information on the next Open Day at Kim’s studio (and also a chance to see work by a lot of other artists working in the same Camberwell side-street – itself a ‘hidden place’, an oasis of calm just a few steps away from a major bus route past Camberwell College.

Find more about Kim Thornton here>

CREEKSIDE ARTISTS IN THE LIMELIGHT

From 3-28 February 2010, Creekside Artists will be showcasing their
work at The Limelight Gallery in Lewisham, Southeast London. The
gallery is situated within Lewisham library and is open to the public
every day of the week. You are invited to come and meet the artists
over a cup of tea and slice of cake at our private view on Monday 8
February, 6-8pm. For other opening times and a map, please visit
http://www.limelightgallery.webeden.co.uk/

ALTURNERTIVE PROJECT: 100 JOURNALS

Creekside Artists are participating in a collaborative drawing project
led by Kent-based artist-led group alTURNERtive, who have sent out 100
journals and signed up over 1000 participants. A journal has been
circulating the studios at Creekside Artists and members have been
drawing, painting, writing, cutting, folding and sticking onto blank
pages as well as working into each other’s drawings.

Our journal will be exhibited, alongside 99 others, from 16-21
February (9am-5pm) at the Herbert Read Gallery, University for the
Creative Arts, New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent. For more information
please visit http://alturnertive.com/

ABOUT CREEKSIDE ARTISTS

Serena Rowe will be showing some new paintings as part of ’the scottish show’ at oakham contemporary gallery

private view: tuesday 26th january, 6pm – 8pm

dates: 27th january – 19th february 2010

address: oakham contemporary

27 bury street, london SW1Y 6AL

0207 839 8800

www.oakhamcontemporary.com

www.serenarowe.co.uk

In what is heralded as the South London Women Artists’ first major public exhibition, over 90 women from diverse backgrounds will see their art celebrated at Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH from 28 April – 3 May 2010.

South London Women Artists (SLWA), established in June 2008 by two female Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery, Jenny Sweeney and Leonie Cronin, recognises and highlights the achievements made by women artists in recent years. SLWA provides a web showcase for female artists living or working south of the river. When it was set up its membership numbered just 40 but today stands at 100, with a waiting list.

The exhibition at Bankside Gallery is supported by Shell and endorsed by the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery. Featuring over 100 pieces of contemporary art including prints, ceramics, photography, paintings, and sculpture, the show will be curated by Kelly Chorpening, Subject Leader BA Drawing at Camberwell College of Arts and Pippa Graber, Art Consultant from ArtDog.

Participating artists include:

- Tess Barnes – known for her 50 portraits of “Women of Substance” including Stella Rimmington ex-Chief of MI5 and GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips;

- Emiko Aida – a painter/printmaker from Japan;

- Eithne Twomey – known for her seascapes from Cork;

- Chrissy Silver – ceramicist who is influenced by nature;

- Beata Kozlowska – installation artist exploring ‘the feminine’.

All exhibited work will be available to buy with prices ranging from around £200 to £2,000.

The exhibition is open to the public, and entry is free.
Opening times are: 28 April to 3 May 2010, 11am to 6pm.

For more information, please contact Kim Thornton by email slwapress@googlemail.com