Black Swan Arts Open 2024, Judge Profile

Please can you describe your practice?

A bit of everything really, I’m always responding to the urban and natural world around me with whatever I have on hand… Finding raw materials in skips and combining them with more traditional mediums always excites me. I love working with other people for collaborative projects and I’m lucky to share my studio at spike with a few other emerging artists – we’re always bouncing new ideas off each other.

What inspired you to be an artist?

I was quite young, I think around 6, my parents took me to the Hayward Gallery on the South bank in London. It was an Anthony Gormley exhibition called ‘Blind Light and it had a glass room full of smoke that visitors could walk around and get lost in. Having this experience of contemporary art made me see the possibilities of art in a wider sense; it was enjoyable for all and both transformative on my mindset and the role and use of a gallery space as a whole. In addition to being a practicing artist I have a keen interest in curation and I think the different elements of that pivotal show made me who I am today.

Which artists inspire you the most right now?

Mike Nelson, Heather Phillipson, Rose Wylie, Harriet Bowman, Jimmie Durham and Jeremy Deller to name a few always inspire me in so many different ways. When approaching making a body of work I do always seem to refer to writers first however. The Eco and technologically charged destruction found within J.G Ballard’s writings are a constant touchpoint in my work and the Mythology and style of Book’s such as ‘Riddley Walker’ by Russel Hoban permeate my practice.

What elements do you like to combine in a piece of work?

I’m constantly combining references from literature, pop culture, queer culture, history and the landscape of contemporary Britain in my work. I enjoy discovery niche references and contrasting and reframing them through my practice and research.

What (in your opinion) is the biggest challenge artists face today?

Finding the time to juggle life with making new work and research consistently- I’m sure artists have always struggled with this but the older I get the more I feel it for sure. It seems like I’m just constantly running around all week to get anything done!

What would you most like to change about today’s art world?

Art is the world… the world is art!
I think the concept of the ‘art world’ makes it seem too much of an ‘other’ compared to the other facets of society leading to an idea of elitism and inaccessibility ,when it is just as integral as any other profession or infrastructure and should be as freely accessible to all.

Can you tell us what is your favourite possession and what it means to you?

A taxidermy stoat that I saw in an antique shop! You could say it was Love at first sight. I think it’s Probably around 130 years old. Did I feel sorry for it? Yes… But I think that’s probably why I bought the poor thing.

Have you ever bought a piece of art work?

I’ve bought a few pieces of artwork from friends and artists I admire. My favourite pieces are probably a couple of simple but striking ink paintings on paper by another Bristol based artist called George Pettengell and a Risograph print of a scan of a shredded piece of tyre by a fellow Spike Island artist called Harriet Bowman.