August FORUM - Art Prizes

6.30pm at g39, Oxford St, Cardiff CF24 3DT

For this month's Forum we will be discussing Art Prizes, and will be hearing from artists and selectors. This theme ties in with the current exhibition at g39, the John Gingell Award. 

John Gingell (1935-2007) was a pioneering and passionate artist and arts educator. In accordance with John’s wishes, the Gingell family and g39 developed an award that continued John’s legacy and work as a passionate advocate of art education, by supporting the career development of two artists selected via an open submission process. The family invited g39 to offer curatorial and critical support to Toby Huddlestone and Alan Goulbourne, the recipients of the award, with the intention to significantly develop their practices. The are presenting their resulting bodies of work together for the first time as two exhibitions in g39.

Right of the Land: FORUM and Watermarked

Right of the Land: FORUM and Watermarked:

Check out Becca Thomas's blog post on July's FORUM and her new project Watermarked...

behind her 'I's: a photo exhibition

behind her 'I's is a photographic exhibition in Abertillery, Wales, exploring the themes of women’s image and identity from the perspective of female photographers. 

Women have been creating photography from its very beginning, with famous female photographers such as Anna Atkins (1799-1871), Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), Tina Modotti (1896-1942), Lee Miller (1907-1977), Diane Arbus (1923-1971), Francesca Woodman (1958-1981), Annie Leibovitz (b.1949) or Nan Goldin (b.1953), to name a few. However, in fine art photography, like in other arts, mainstream media and culture, the prevalent role of women is that of aestheticised muses, often passive or objectified. That gaze is not necessarily exclusive to, or inherent in all art created by male artists, but a dominant canon in the representation of women.

behind her ‘I’s is an exhibition aimed at countering this. We’d like to present artists whose work touches upon the questions of female identity and presents a non-standard look at age, beauty and gender roles.

behind her ‘I’s is the second event organised by the*kickplate*project, an initiative to bring high-quality international art to people who are not the target audience of art. This time we're featuring Marit Beer (Germany), Sophie Berdzenishvili (Georgia), Hanan Kazma (Lebanon), Mariya Kozhanova (Kaliningrad) and Mano Svanidze (Georgia). 

The exhibition is open until the 24th of August 2013, from 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday (lunch break between 2 and 4) and from 11 to 6 Saturday, in 26 Church Street, Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent, opposite the Post Office.

July FORUM: 'The Walk'

Becca Thomas and Blair Staff led July's FORUM from Turner House, Penarth over the barrage to the Bay and finished off nicely with chips on Caroline Street.  Here's some highlights in pictures;

Artist Profile Blair Staff

Blair Staff is one of the artists engaged in today's event, 'The Walk'. Blair graduated with a BA in Fine Art from UWIC in 2009 and in September she will start her MA studies in Aesthetics and Art Theory with the CRMEP at Kingston University.

"In the four years since completing my degree many poignant philosophical questions have arisen through studio practice pertaining to ‘value’ in the arts, debates surrounding arts in the wider community, and what is meant when we refer to a ‘participatory work’. I see the reading groups as an opportunity to engage with texts and discuss ideas, to inform understanding, and build relationships between the readers."

Artist Profile Becca Thomas

This Thursday will see the return of 'The Walk' for FORUM which will be lead by artist Becca Thomas and Blair Staff as we hike, march, pace, ramble, saunter, step, stride, stroll and tread through Cardiff and discuss walking and art practice. 

Becca Thomas is an artist whose work explores the relationships and emotions that exist between people and place. Through action and writing she looks at how developing a relationship with our environment could help to make sense of the storm of human emotion. Originally from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, she currently resides in Cardiff. She has been a regular contributor to Art & Music magazine and has made work for bands including The Jeffrey Lewis band and The Wave Pictures.

'Combining Forces' with BRG and Modern Alchemists at June FORUM

Last month featured BRG and Modern Alchemists as guest speakers for our monthly FORUM event with some group juggling and presentations.