amid the silent flowers
An online exhibition to mark a year since Terence Wilde set up the collective ‘Amid the Silent Flowers’ in London. It showcases works created during that time, a new short film about the importance of stitch, and an essay from Terence about the cathartic process for him, and the group more broadly. You’ll notice a common theme of taking back ownership of ‘negative’ words and phrases said to them over years, now turning them into something positive. Terence initiated this by sharing that back in the 80s someone said to him that his work was ‘not bad for a queer’… so you can imagine where these conversations have led the group.
Stitches of Freedom
Join Alice Kettle and me in a celebration of the work of two refugees that Alice met whilst working on Thread Bearing Witness in 2018 – Monica Hamakami and Susan Kamara. Since that time, Alice has stayed in touch and continued collaboration and support for these two artists, helping them to realise their talents and giving them an outlet for their emotions and life stories. Stitches of Freedom showcases newer and older works, alongside two new collaborative works made specially for this online presentation.
Click here to view exhibition page →
El Sueno Al Fondo De Mar
Mohammed M’rabet is the last surviving member of a group of largely self-taught Moroccan painters who were sometimes referred to as ‘the Bowles boys’ after the late American writer and composer Paul Bowles, who promoted the careers of its members. He is the least well known of these painters, not because he is less talented, but, as a storyteller, this quickly overshadowed his artistic reputation.
Join me in viewing new works of M’rabet, and get in touch should anything be of interest. Thanks to M’rabet’s family for their help with this online exhibition.
Remembering Robin
I would like you to join me in a celebration of the work of Robin Wise who sadly passed away in 2021 aged just 59. Although originally from Stirling, Robin Wise had resided in Aberdeen since 1991. He was a quiet and gentle self-taught artist, who was recognised as being on the Autistic Spectrum shortly after his birth in 1961. He was particularly thankful to those around him at Newton Dee – a community based on the outskirts of Aberdeen, that supports learning disabled adults to live, as well as find meaningful work and learn new skills, – who gave him the space and support to develop his skills and his own individual style.
Kindred Spirits
The Jennifer Lauren Gallery presented an online exhibition titled Kindred Spirits. The exhibition presented drawings by four artists whose works possess a numinous energy and compelling beauty. The irrepressible urge to draw, accompanied by experiences of a spiritual or psychic nature, forms a harmonious bond between the artists. Each has a deep understanding of the other’s ups and downs encountered in the development of this unusual artistic process. The four artists were o2o, Ghasem Ahmadi, Chris Neate and Zinnia Nishikawa. Introductory text was written by Vivienne Roberts, Curator and Archivist at the College of Psychic Studies in London.
Unfortunately
About the Exhibition
Jennifer Lauren Gallery presented an online solo show for artist and adult survivor Terence Wilde titled Unfortunately from early January 2021.
The title of this show is quite ambiguous and that is exactly what the artist Terence Wilde wanted. For Terence, it references a multitude of thoughts and feelings: unfortunately, due to the high quality and number of entries this year we are unable to include your work in the show; unfortunately, you need to go back to shielding as a vulnerable person due to covid-19; if I’d have had a fortunate childhood, maybe I wouldn’t be doing art and I certainly wouldn’t be the person I have become today.
Join Jennifer online for a journey as we explore the two worlds of artist and adult survivor Terence Wilde, who uses his art practice as his own form of therapy. For him, it is a distraction, a method of calming and a daily occurrence that keeps him grounded. His creativity runs parallel to his mental health.
Terence recently said, “Through my art I lose myself and in the process, discover who I am. Art is a healing tool that helps me to survive as a person.”
Evolving Echoing Entities
About the Exhibition
This online exhibition ‘Evolving Echoing Entities’ offered the viewer a chance to discover the inner voice of eight self-taught artists from around the world - from loud splashes of colour, to hummed repetitive strokes, to hushed delicate marks. As many of these artists have varying verbal abilities, their choice of marks and the process behind each and every detail made conveys a meaning, telling us a story. Their art highlights their differences in language and delivery, but essentially they all communicate hidden and unheard stories or ideas. This might see us studying the back to front symbols and repeated lettering covering bold shapes of colour seen in Robert Fischer’s drawings; the calming overlaid rhythmic swirls showing focused repetition and movement from Nnena Kalu or the colourful abstract floral imagery and treescapes blanketing John Maull’s drawings. The actual process of making itself and the layering of marks is integral and plays a central role in each artist’s composition. Their shared common aesthetic is their use of vivid colours and their non-conformist attitudes. Each artist becomes absorbed in the creative act, creating for their own needs: the fact we get to see their treasures is a real treat.
The eight artists were: John Black from Garvald in Edinburgh, Éric Derochette from La ‘S’ Grand Atelier in Belgium, Robert Fischer from Geyso20 in Germany, Sher-ron Freeman from Creative Growth in California, Joe Goldman from Project Art Works in Hastings, Nnena Kalu from ActionSpace in London, Judy Lopez from the ECF Art Centers in Los Angeles and John Maull from Tierra del Sol Studios in Los Angeles.
You can catch Jennifer in conversation with Sarah Galender Meyer, Gallery Director from Creative Growth in Oakland, CA, and Paige Wery, Gallery Director from Tierra del Sol in Los Angeles, CA via THIS link. BSL is recorded into the video and a full written transcript is available.
THE EXHIBITION WAS PROFILED ON FRIEZE AS A TOP TEN VIRTUAL EXHIBITION IN 2021 - LINK HERE
Hybrid Creatures
About the Exhibition
Miguel Ángel Hernando was born in Madrid in 1965, and started to attend the Carabanchel Occupational Centre in 1989, where he worked in the ceramic and drawing workshops. Since 2011 he has attended the Debajo del Sombrero workshop in Matadero, Madrid. He attends twice a week, for four hours each time. Whenever someone new comes into the studio, he has a need without exception, to know their birth date and day of the week they were born. It is clear that its meaning hides something that fascinates him. In this way, Hernando shows the same urgency that we all feel to decipher the enigma of time in our lives. This interest in time also manifests in his eagerness to collect calendars and take them everywhere with him. They seem to be much more his property than the clothes that he wears. He can often be found asking others to bring him calendars – but they must be from the current year. He also has a daily ritual of singing the birthday song, which the whole studio has come to accept.
Hernando’s artwork features a world of tiny patterns and imagined animals and figures, arranged around the page. He loves to work in glitter gel pens to create his colourful works. It is believed that he draws things to be admired in heavy detail, but due to his limited speech, the studio cannot be exactly sure what he is drawing. Over time his drawings have increased in their delicacy and in the precision of his detail. Hernando has refined his style of a complicated network of streaks and dots that he uses as decoration on the figures and animals. No one knows just how much detail or ornamentation will feature in a piece of work. The studio views many of the pieces as extravagant works, but love the variation in what he creates. He often repeats the phrase “I paint very well”, so perhaps he feels we do not need to know anymore.
Click here to view the exhibition →
Click here to watch a video of Jennifer in conversation with Artistic Director Luis Saez from Miguel’s studio in Madrid, and Gorka translated into English. BSL was recorded as part of the discussion. It is one hour long. (NOTE: If you click on the 4 arrows next to the word vimeo it will make it full screen)
Staff members from Debajo del Sombrero talked about the supported studio, its history, how it works with intellectually disabled artists and a little about Miguel's practice in particular. This studio is just one of many studios across Europe that supports disabled artists.
ART | UNLOCKED | UNEARTHED
About the Exhibition
The Jennifer Lauren Gallery held a two-week callout in April 2020 for artists that self-define as disabled and/or Deaf to submit one artwork for selection that has been made since January 2020, with no theme or art material specified. This call-out culminated in this rich and vibrant online exhibition and zine that can be viewed here: ‘ART | UNLOCKED | UNEARTHED.’
With the help of artist and adult survivor Terence Wilde and curator Lisa Slominski, we selected the work of 30 artists from 194 submissions. As part of the funding from Manchester International Festival, five of the selected artists were Greater Manchester based – highlighted by the word *MANCHESTER.
Art provides a much-needed distraction and connection point for so many disabled and/or Deaf artists in order to combat the loneliness and isolation that many are currently facing. Many of those featured were from supported studios who were doing an incredible job to move their programming online to continue supporting disabled artists from a distance during covid-19.
Supporting artist’s wellbeing is of utmost importance to me and this call-out was just one way of providing a boost to artists during this time. Please get in touch should any works be of interest to you.