Venue: Volcano Theatre
Exhibition – Klatch Collective: YMA
Artists: Abi Birkinshaw | Shauna Chapman | Magda Lackowska | Luke Roberts | Francesca Wilcox
Dates: 3/10/20 – 17/10/20
‘Klatch’ was initially formed with the aim of celebrating our own distinctive approaches to contemporary painting through exhibiting work that prompts critical discussion about what it means to be a painter today; through discussion, collaboration, residencies and evolving exhibition spaces — the broadest definition of painting from traditional canvas-on-frame, to sculpture and installation — we aim to break down the conventional, reveal the different relationships that exist between contemporary practices, and bring a new joy to the viewing experience.
Klatch Members:
Shauna Chapman
Website: http://www.shaunachapman.portfoliobox.net
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gingechaps
An analogue practice in a post-internet
Luke Roberts
Website: www.lukerobertsart.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lukerobertsart
My paintings are self-portraits, studies of surface and an exploration of the barrier between the abstract and the figurative. I create artwork that investigates the ‘human condition’, which is defined by the oxford dictionary as: “the characteristics and key events which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality and mortality”. I paint skin as it has a role in all of this; both the inner emotional ego and outer physical experiences of life.
My works represent a playful push against traditional representations of the human body, portraying flesh physically and tangibly through the prism of my own sexuality.
Abi Birkinshaw
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/abibirkinshaw
I make paintings that talk about my own lived experience; they are a synthesis of my day-to-day life. My most recent paintings are influenced by the sense of home and belonging.
Everything I make comes back to paint itself — it’s materiality, it’s smell, it’s movement on a surface. The act of painting is thinking time; it’s a means of processing and dealing with things that I don’t really like talking about. I’m good at talking nonsense, but not good at the serious stuff, so there’s a duplicity I enjoy in my work. Difficult things are discussed through a rough-and-ready aesthetic, mundane objects and often fragments of text.
Magda Lackowska
Website: https://cargocollective.com/magdalenalackowska
Instagram: www.instagram.com/magdorian
Just like a great recipe, colour mixing relies on knowing the right elements in order to achieve the desired response, be that to the eyes or the taste buds. A great chef understands how flavours pair with each other, and this same concept is reciprocated in the paintings through the exploration of colour relationships. Ingredients from different ends of the spectrum are combined in order to balance and please the palate, and once the desired richness and depth is reached, you’ll know you have found the correct recipe.
Using familiar objects and food items as the subjects of the paintings evokes a nostalgia of humble everyday moments, and the familiarity of comfortable spaces. The portrayal of modest, easeful scenes paired with gratifying colour relationships makes for a feast for the eyes.
Working intuitively but in a systematic manner, the colours are layered within a pattern, utilising negative space in a personal aim to exercise seeing. By incorporating a complimentary coloured shadow the subject can be placed in any everyday environment, allowing the viewer to envision it on their own kitchen table.
Francesca Wilcox
Website: https://francescawilcox.weebly.com/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/fcwilcox
The natural world has always been a huge inspiration to my practice; from studying the Sublime in great coastlines, to the ethereal energy of rolling hills, I always strive to evoke the power that one feels from the wilderness.
However, due to being in quarantine for 4 months my ability to reach these exquisite landscapes haven’t been possible, and so I’ve had to change rugged seascapes to local urban environment.
My practice now focuses on the simple beauty of nature that surrounds us every day; from grass pushing through the cracks in the pavement, to making our own forests using houseplants in our flats or in our gardens.
Creating simple illustrations, print-making & painting, I want to explore the delicate & the daily eco-systems that fill our own little worlds every day, whilst also exploring the natural complexity that creates the patterns from which they bud.
Contact: klatchcardiff@gmail.com