HUMANITY
THE OUTSIDE IN NATIONAL EXHIBITION 2023
NATIONAL
`Humanity’ is our sixth national open call exhibition. The opportunity to exhibit at three unique venues (Sotheby’s in London, Project Ability in Glasgow and Hove Museum of Creativity) will have a profound impact on the selected artists and how their work is seen and valued, continuing our mission to create a fairer art world.
Humanising the arts is essential to redefining the language and labels currently used, moving from a historic and academic perspective to a new place where the arts sector truly reflects our society. Our theme ‘Humanity’ was suggested by our trustee Charles Martin and a more apt and pertinent subject would be hard to find. The world is in turmoil, the planet in danger and wars are being fought on European soil once again, but art and artists still have the capacity to reflect and celebrate all it means to be human. Artists are the antennae of society, they sense and feel differently, pointing out what we have overlooked and shedding light on experiences both personal and universal to the betterment of all. Art can and does heal, not just for the individual but for wider society; the connections created and the sharing that happens when we look at art can be transformative.
I have always valued the courage shown by Outside In artists when trusting their work to us and a wider arts audience. Some of the work is deeply personal and placing it in the public domain shows true bravery. An artist is connected to their work on many levels, but the emotional significance of having brought something into being is profound and releasing it can be a difficult separation. It is often overlooked or not seen, this passing on, but it is one of the most challenging experiences that an artist can face. I would ask that you bear in mind the many thresholds that have been crossed when viewing this exhibition, both personally and in the context of an art world often less than inclusive or welcoming of the breadth of people making art in this country.
My sincere thanks to our partner organisations across the UK, and to the Outside In team who enable the charity to support these incredible artists. Special thanks go to Cornelia Marland and Charlotte Hanlon, our Exhibition Programme Managers, who worked so hard to create these exhibitions. Thanks also to our exceptional board of trustees and our Chair, Charles Rolls, for their continuing support and commitment and to all our funders and supporters.
Finally, my biggest thanks go to all our artists for trusting us and sharing their creativity.
MARC STEENE, DIRECTOR
HELEN KILBY NELSON — ‘THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS’
SUZIE LARKE — ‘BEAM ME UP’
Opportunities and support for more than 4000 artists.
Outside In is a catalyst for change. Founded in 2006, it is an award-winning national charity that aims to provide a platform for artists who encounter significant barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance or isolation.
Outside In’s work covers three main areas: artist development, exhibitions and training. These activities, supported by fundraising and communications, all aim to create a fairer art world by supporting artists, creating opportunities and influencing the arts sector.
Since its inception, Outside In has reached over a quarter of a million audience members and worked with more than 80 partner organisations nationally. It has held more than 50 exhibitions to date and now provides opportunities and support for more than 4000 artists. In the past two years over 25,000 people visited the charity’s physical and virtual exhibitions and in the past year over 268 artists have joined the charity, over 100 volunteer Ambassadors supported the delivery of its programmes, 75 artists were provided with individual support and 30 artists participated in the ground-breaking Patient Art Works: New Dialogues project.
The charity is currently working to create new platforms to support the delivery of its programmes nationwide, working in partnership with key strategic arts organisations across the UK to act as Hubs of activity and support. New Hubs have been successfully established in the Midlands and the North West, with further being explored in regions including the South West, Scotland and Wales.
Outside In’s website is the best way to stay up to date with all the charity’s news, events, exhibitions and opportunities. It also offers great ways to explore the galleries of thousands of talented artists and to get involved – either as artists, organisations or supporters.
LYNN COX — ‘GAZE OF HU-MAN-ITY (THE MONSTER WHO WILL SAVE US)’
ANNIE GUTTERIDGE — ‘GINGER HAIRED LADY’
We are delighted to be back with a series of major physical exhibitions: our national open call which we hold every two years. During the lockdowns most of our artists did so well to cope, but we cannot forget that some of them had limited or no access to the internet. So it is with real pleasure that we will be exhibiting the work of 80 of our artists in Sotheby’s prior to touring the exhibition later in 2023 to Project Ability in Glasgow and Hove Museum of Creativity.
‘Humanity’ opens following a landmark year for Outside In, in which our volunteers were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award available for voluntary groups in the UK. The award was presented to our group of Artist Ambassadors who generously and tirelessly give their time in spreading the word about our charity. They more than any are responsible for finding more artists who are facing significant barriers due to health, disability, social circumstance and isolation and who need our support.
The open call for this exhibition resulted in more works being submitted than ever before. To see such rich work in so many mediums from artists facing barriers ranging from homelessness, blindness, learning disabilities and chronic health issues brought together under the theme of ‘Humanity’ presents us all with the stark message: There is great art being made by so many non-traditional
artists. Excitingly, 75% of these artists have never exhibited their work through Outside In previously and many have never exhibited previously anywhere at all!
With cost-effective hubs in Walsall and the North West now joining the South, as we increase our reach and widen our exhibition, support and training programmes across the UK, Outside In and our artists need your support more than ever. There are many ways in which you can assist us, and every donation, large or small, helps – all details can be found on our website.
I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to our trustee Frances Christie and her superb team and the management at Sotheby’s, to our partners at Project Ability and Brighton & Hove Museums and to all our funders, supporters and patrons and donors who have helped to bring about these fascinating and important exhibitions. My thanks as ever to Marc Steene and to all the team at Outside In, who work so hard and with such compassion to deliver our demanding programme across the UK.
We hope that you will be touched, provoked, challenged and inspired by ‘Humanity’ and enjoy this unique collection of work by such talented artists.
CHARLES ROLLS, CHAIRMAN
MICHAEL POWELL —
‘ACROSS THE TOPS, DARKNESS AND WONDER LURKS’
provides instrumental support to those artists
This year’s exhibition ‘Humanity’ sees artists approaching the theme from such a wide variety of angles – from simple human kindness to reminders of the frailty of our species, from dialogues on gender to extraterrestrial imaginings. Mediums range from painting and drawing to collage, textile and ceramics, film, photography and performance art – diverse perspectives exploring a rich and vital subject matter. We hope that you enjoy experiencing ‘Humanity’ in all its guises and its glories.
FRANCES CHRISTIE, OUTSIDE IN TRUSTEE AND CONSULTANT, MODERN BRITISH ART, SOTHEBY’S
THANK YO U TO SUPPORTE RS
Outside In would like to thank Frances Christie and the team at Sotheby’s, Elizabeth Gibson, Heather Lander and the team at Project Ability and Helen Grundy, Paula Wrightson and the team at Brighton & Hove Museums.
‘Humanity’ will tour to Project Ability in Glasgow 12 August – 16 September 2023 and then to Brighton & Hove Museums 25th November – January 21st 2024.
Jackson and Lee Framing Ltd
The New Art Gallery Walsall South London Gallery and Venture Arts
ALL OUR
PATRICIA SHRIGLEY — ‘BREEDER’ PHOTO: TOM THISTLETHWAITE
Brighton & Hove Museums is a charitable trust responsible for the management of the Royal Pavilion & Museum Trust service in Brighton & Hove.
Formed in October 2020, the Brighton & Hove Museums protect and preserve the trust’s venues and collections while offering a vibrant and fascinating experience to visitors from around the world.
The trust is funded by Arts Council England, Brighton & Hove City Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and other charitable organisations and from public donations as well as income from admissions.
Brighton & Hove Museums oversees the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Preston Manor, Hove Museum & Art Gallery and the Booth Museum of Natural History.
Brighton & Hove Museums offer a wide range of exhibitions, displays and events through the year covering history, art and culture to appeal to all visitors.
Step into a world of toys, cinema, local history and fine art. Hove Museum of Creativity is part of Brighton & Hove Museums and is a family friendly museum with one of the finest craft collections in the UK.
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Project Ability creates opportunities through inclusive art for all. Since 1984, we’ve been supporting, celebrating and platforming diversity within the contemporary visual arts sector. Based in Glasgow in the award-winning Trongate 103, we provide a welcoming arts community for people with learning disabilities and mental ill-health.
We provide the space and expertise to allow people to express themselves, build confidence and achieve their potential. We also host a year-round calendar of projects, masterclasses and exhibitions to reach out and connect people and communities across Scotland. Our gallery and shop are essential spaces used to promote the artists and their work. Our exhibitions and unique shop items delight audiences from around the world as well as providing sales and publicity opportunities for the artists.
Through art, we believe we can improve the lives and wellbeing of people with disabilities and experience of mental ill-health. Our strong and vibrant community of artists learn skills, connect, and build confidence whilst attending Project Ability.
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OUR SELECTORS
SELECTED THE 80 ARTWORKS FOR THE EXHIBITIONS
artists and as an artist myself who faces barriers to try not to put up any extra barriers, but also still to make sure that the selection of work is about getting the strongest work, work that really speaks to the theme. It was interesting how we agreed on some works, definitely disagreed on others, but how we were able to have our own voice about why you felt a work was strong, how works were written about, the context... So I think they’re going to be really good exhibitions with a broad range of work on show from paintings and sculpture to film.
VICTORIA
BOWMAN
Outside In artist
I enjoyed every one of the pictures that I saw. It’s my first time being a judge, and each one of the pictures in my mind was absolutely amazing. Very interesting to see different artists work and I liked all the talking and all the discussions about the different ones. And then looking at all the pictures which represented the artist and what they saw — I just felt it was very mutual, like what they put in it, the mood and the textures.
HEATON OBE
Artist and Chair, Shape Arts
We spent the selection afternoon making some interesting and tough decisions. I thought it was a good list and a really good range of work to judge against. We had film and painting, mixed media, collage, pretty much a bit of everything, really. Some biggish pieces, some quite tiny, discrete pieces… I think there were provocative pieces within there, but there were also some really serious pieces that made us sit back a little bit and think… It felt like a diverse and interesting selection of work — so good luck everybody with the end result!
IJE
TONY
OUR JUDGE
CHOSE AND ANNOUNCED THE WINNERS AT SOTHEBY’S ON 12 JANUARY
BOB AND ROBERTA SMITH
Artist and ‘Humanity’ guest judge
My hope for this exhibition is simply to help show ‘art is for all’. Art is a human thing, similar to a human right, and creating art gives people a vital purpose. The arts help people find their voice and allow audiences to look and listen to other people and appreciate their experience.
Museums need to create a revolution where they are not just places to look at past art or art made by others, but a place where art can be made by all… more open shows, artworks of the week and the inclusion of great work by everyone in collections. Less exhibitions of the usual suspects and more exhibitions of the unusual suspects.
© TIM EVAN-COOK AND SOTHEBY’S
HUMANITY: THE PRIZE-WINNERS
FIRST PRIZE
A painting by Hastings-based artist Michelle Roberts scooped first prize: a solo exhibition in 2024. Michelle’s painting, ‘Old Bands’, is a carefully detailed composition about music and was created using a combination of paint and brush pens. Guest judge Bob and Roberta Smith praised the work, saying: “It’s an absolutely beautiful painting and I really wanted to see more work by this artist.”
Michelle Roberts works with Project Art Works (projectartworks.org), a collective of neurodiverse artists and activists based in Hastings who were nominated for last year’s Turner Prize.
Michelle has said she is overjoyed to have been awarded first prize and her mother Jenny Roberts describes receiving the news: “We were called when in the car on our way to Hastings. I couldn’t believe it! I was shocked and I think Michelle was shocked too. It’s nice to have this effect on people, because paintings speak volumes and Michelle’s take on things is so different to anyone else’s.”
‘OLD BANDS’ MICHELLE ROBERTS
MICHELLE ROBERTS, 2022 C/O PROJECT ARTWORKS
MICHELLE ROBERTS — ‘OLD BANDS’ PHOTO: TOM THISTLETHWAITE
GAIL HENDERSON — ‘OPHELIA’
SECOND PRIZE: ‘OPHELIA’ – GAIL HENDERSON
Second prize was awarded to ‘Ophelia’, a portrait by artist Gail Henderson who describes her work as “dark, detailed maps of my unconscious.”
Gail says: “I have always drawn and wanted to be an artist. I began by making line drawings of cats as an infant. However, I have chronic mental health issues, so my art has become part of my wellbeing. I see it as part of me and something I have always done. My works are autobiographical.”
THIRD PRIZE: ‘RNLI SAVES REFUGEES’ – IAN BARNES
Ian Barnes works with supported studio Art Invisible based in Emsworth, Hampshire and his work ‘RNLI saves refugees’ was awarded third prize.
Ian comments: “I love the RNLI, they are very important! They save lives, it doesn’t matter who or where they are from – they save lives! I got very angry when the government tried to tell them they could not save all lives at sea. If you are in a life raft and it is sinking you need to be rescued. We are a nation who like to help each other – we help everyone. The RNLI is a charity and ordinary people support them.”
Both Gail and Ian won vouchers for art materials. Describing this year’s prize-winners, Outside In founder and director Marc Steene commented: “Each of the three prize winners strongly reflect their inspiring and moving responses to this year’s theme, Humanity. The learning and insight into the human condition that this exhibition provides is profound, all the more so for coming from artists not often given centre stage. It illustrates the incredible creativity and wisdom that is on offer if we look beyond the boundaries of convention.”
IAN BARNES — ‘RNLI SAVES REFUGEES’ © SOTHEBY’S
CATALOGUE OF ARTWORK 2023
ALISON EDWARD
NORTH BERWICK
PENCIL ON PAPER
This is North Berwick. I like to go there. Its nice. Beside the sea and a beach. Lots of people go there for holidays and for day trips.
ALISTAIR
UNTITLED
ACRYLIC, PAINT PENS AND FINELINER ON BOARD
The structure of skulls have always interested me. They are used to represent the end of someone’s life but also serve as evidence of someone having had life in the first place, a sort of representation of the balance of humanity. The third eye on the skull is to change things up a little, make things odder, more alien. To see something alien while also referencing something human can help us to understand humanity more, as it can take something deviating from what we are used to and help us see a truer sense of humanity.
ANNIE GUTTERIDGE
GINGER HAIRED LADY
PASTEL ON PAPER
This is my first drawing of a person and I am happy. I like her red hair.
ANYA WARD
SANCTUARY AND THE HUNT
ACRYLIC AND MIXED MEDIA ON CRADLED PANEL
The final painting in a series of works I created during 2022. The series is a response to myself and my three children being threatened with homelessness. Triggering an overwhelming sense of responsibility to protect us. This piece represents motherhood and how systems treat our contributions with irreverence. The use of lines, layering, scratching into and removal of paint create a sense of disturbance; symbolic of the internal and external struggles and pressures that were on me.
BARBARA HULME
HELEN ROETEN
WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER
This is a painting of Helen Roeten also an artist and life model. I think her willingness and bravery and confidence in her own body, scars and all, is a wonderful portrayal of both humanity’s strength and will to survive, but also the humanity and cooperation that is needed by the wonderful people who work in the health services who help us to overcome all sorts of medical conditions and survive and thrive. Helen herself is also a wonderful humanitarian, having set up online life drawing zoom sessions in support of charities to help others.
BEN GORING
BOB MARLEY AND HIS FAMILY
CERAMIC SCULPTURE
This is part of a series of ceramic sculptures influenced by music and in particular Ben’s favourite bands. During lockdown Ben spent time drawing and creating to his favourite music.
BILLY WESTON
MASK IN DETERIORATION
CERAMIC SCULPTURE
This ‘Mask in Deterioration’ shows the terror of how I feel about the human species as we are threatened by nuclear war and destruction of the whole human race. We sit and stare in disbelief at war images of innocent women and children being slaughtered before our eyes. It’s so hard to understand that in the 21st Century, to believe this is the world that so-called civilised people expect to watch the world progress into a more loving, caring place. How can we survive with this horror facing us?
CHARLOTTE WAINWRIGHT
A FAMILY DISCUSSION OVER TEA AND CAKE
OIL PAINT ON PAPER
I’m inspired by people, they are the main focus in my paintings so I feel that’s most appropriate for this particular theme. A family here discusses important events while the male stares longingly into a light bulb.
CHARMAGNE COBLE
TRACE
PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT
‘Trace’ explores the relationship between absence and presence and how difficult it is to separate the two. As humans, we often become attached to those physically still around us, and sometimes we become even more attached to those who are no longer with us. Trace was created to demonstrate that absence and presence coexist within humanity. Using my body as the medium I wanted to express personal experiences of decay and absence by leaving traces of the human body through powders on my skin.
CHRIS BIRD
STREET SCENE
INK ON PAPER
My artwork relates to the way in which humanity faces hurdles and challenges.
In my case this is a mental illness (schizophrenia) which causes me to hear voices and feel anxious.
I have attempted to overcome these voices by depicting the voices as faces.
CHRISTIAN EMANUEL
BONNIE & CLYDE 21’
PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT
A modern black love story showcased through the recreation of the infamous duo ‘Bonnie & Clyde’.
This image aims to represent the diversity of new age black relationships. I relied on my filmmaking influence to bring this to life, providing each subject with their own distinctive personality by the clothing, backdrop and tattoo choices.
CHRISTOPHER CATTO
THE BEACH
GOUACHE ON PAPER
I made this drawing from a photograph I took when I visited Brighton seafront on a day where the temperature was almost 40°C. After the Covid pandemic where we were all afraid to be near anyone else it was interesting to see people out on the beach together trying to stay cool. This reminded me of the theme of ‘Humanity’ because everyone was together, having a nice day and no one was yelling or being mean to anyone else.
CLIVE JACKSON
EARTH MAN
MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS
A figure falling – or in the earth – submitting to prevailing conditions as a means of survival.
DAVID LORIMER
WALKING IN TREES IN ALL THE SEASONS
OIL PAINT AND ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
This is me and my best friend Kwok Kin Chan walking in the trees. Friends are important. The painting shows us walking in all the seasons. I painted the trees before the pandemic. After the pandemic I wanted to add in me and my friend. We did not see each other during the pandemic and so I wanted to add us to the painting. We laugh and we help each other when we are sad. Being in trees and nature helps when things are hard. Trees and friends and being together and watching the trees change as time goes by.
DAVID PUTTICK
26/06/22
MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER
My Outside In page is called ‘making sense of the random’. I make random monotypes with acrylics with paper on top and then water and shake them about and make them drip, to give more feeling. They express themselves if you like, organically. After that I use paint pens, biros and pastels to make sense of it. All humans can be good or bad, due to their conditioning. Different jobs, different values. Bus drivers, mechanics, astronauts, some are good at maths, genius, there are always lots of artists, good artists according to taste.
EDGINGTON
WAITING ON THE LATEST REPORT(2)
DIGITAL PRINT
This series of two portraits reflects upon the time waiting between a psychology assessment and the report being sent out.
EIRIANEDD MUNRO
UNUS
OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS
‘Unus’ captures a longing for self acceptance and an urge for self assurance, separated by nothing but oneself. Eirianedd Munro’s work depicts the complex, human relationship between the mind and the body: the disconnect between one’s physical and mental identity and the quest to unify the two often seems unattainable. This painting represents both the desire and the struggle to mend these fragmented parts of ourselves.’
ELAINE PREECE STANLEY
FATHER’S LOVE
EGG TEMPERA AND OIL ON PANEL
It is our parents who are responsible for teaching basic humanity to the next generation. My parents taught me the value of human life, of equality, of love and kindness. It is in those moments at home or on holiday in our caravan in Wales that my parents did their greatest work to contribute to humanity.
FIONA RINTOUL
THE BABY AND GRANNY, ICE CREAM AT THE BEACH ACRYLIC ON PAPER
Babies and grannies like ice cream. They like to be happy. Its important to be happy. Going to the beach and having a paddle and eating ice cream. Makes you happy.
FRAN ORALLO
PERSONA NON GRATA
FILM
Persona non grata takes as a reference to a contemporary person who, in one way or another, and always, in my opinion, stands out for their anti-social actions, for attacking people’s freedom, people who do not respect human rights, or who attack minorities. The video consists of forming the name of the chosen ones with flies, from the beginning it has been conceived with the idea of being part of a series. The first chapter is dedicated to the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, for his unjustified and violent invasion of Ukraine.
FRANCESCA APICELLA
PHILAUTIA
OIL, ACRYLIC AND PAINT PEN ON WOODEN PANEL
Philautia explores self-love. I painted it during a time that I reached an all-time low, in my physical and mental health. The word Philautia is taken from the Greek meaning selflove, something that I was struggling to do when I began to paint it. The idea being, that creating something beautiful would help me appreciate my broken body. The portrait was inspired by Victorian portrait photography. I hoped that this piece would give comfort to those experiencing a similar situation and remind them, they are not alone. That there is beauty in all of us, we just need to look.
GAIL HENDERSON
OPHELIA
MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER
My drawing is a self portrait and concerns my struggle to retain a coherent identity despite mental health problems. My condition can cause subjectivity to fluctuate. The circles represent a feeling of being trapped by illness. The shapes convey emotional disturbance and describe the behavioural cycles that change throughout a lifetime
GAYATRI PASRICHA
KAPAA
ACRYLIC AND GLOSS ON CANVAS
This lenticular artwork is a tale of two avatars of a Hindu goddess – Kali, the destroyer, and Parvati, the creator and on the opposite side - their reflective human forms. The goddesses have blue skin which represents the divine, as per popular culture. The other side the women are brown as that represents the earthiness of the human form. This artwork is showcasing Wo(Man) as the Image of (God)dess. There is humanity in divine and the divine in humanity.
GEORGE SHIPLEY
UNTITLED
PENCIL AND PEN ON PAPER
When I thought about Humanity this is the image that springs to mind. My work features these figures a lot as I consider what it means to be human in the context of the mental health and prison systems.
GREG BROMLEY
OBSERVING INTRAPSYCHIC DISPUTE (EXTERNALLY)
MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS
At its most basic, this image illustrates the inner conflict of being human. The two large characters represent the ‘id’ and the ‘superego’ and the head in the bottom left of the image represents the ‘ego’. I feel being human is a constant struggle between the need for instant gratification (id) and the need to be morally intact (superego). The ego seeks to manage both these extremes in a mutually acceptable negotiation. Subsequently, as artists, we look to sublimation as a way of channeling unacceptable urges into the art form.
HELEN GRUNDY
THE ANATOMY OF RUMINATION
DIGITAL COLLAGE
An anatomical diagram of the ear is invaded with swimmers and bathers. Each person represents a thought. Some thoughts pass quickly through the mind, others stay and become obsessions or worries. Human beings are vulnerable to poor self esteem, self loathing and fear and it causes huge problems. This piece highlights how we need to slow down, to take time to break cycles of worry and become more balanced. Humanity as a whole, needs to feel more content and grounded so we can address serious problems like climate change, poverty, disease and discrimination.
HELEN KILBY NELSON
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS
DIGITAL PAINTING
This artwork speaks to the words that we keep inside. It is about the human condition within society and a lack of support for people facing mental health challenges. It responds to a question often asked of people struggling with their mental health, “why didn’t you tell me?” or an outside judgement made on others of, “why didn’t they listen?”. In spaces that do not feel safe, or people and places that we don’t want to burden, the mask becomes the external narrative. If we answer honestly, how often do we really say what’s on our minds?
HORACE LINDEZEY
DANNY KENDALL
CERAMIC SCULPTURE
Part of a series of Blue Plaques made by Horace, all depicting his memories of people.
IAN BARNES
RNLI SAVE REFUGEES
PROGRESSO PENCILS ON PAPER
I love the RNLI they are very important! They save lives, it doesn’t matter who or where they are from they save lives! I got very angry when the government tried to tell them they could not save all lives at sea. If you are in a life raft and it is sinking you need to be rescued. We are a nation who like to help each other we help everyone. The RNLI is a charity and ordinary people support them.
‘IRSTEV’ IVAN STEVENS
TEARS OF A MIDNIGHT CLOWN
OIL AND ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
This Painting is about Humanities relationship to KARMA HOPE FATE CHANCE LUCK DESTINY & EXISTENTIALISM in this time of post Covid pandemic. This painting is my response to being locked down. It deals with my thoughts and emotions about the Karma Fate etc as well as Expressionism and Existentialism. The Clowns tears contain a Magpie, one for sorrow two for joy. An allegorical meaning regarding the interplay of Hope, Luck, Chance and Fate in Humanities struggle to make sense of ones existence at a time when uncertainty challenges our sense of autonomy and our responsibilities to ourselves and to others.
JANE ATHRON
THIS ENGLAND 2021
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
One of eight paintings using the four colours of the horsemen of the Apocalypse.
JESSICA MATILDA
GLOSSODÉTI
CAST BRONZE SCULPTURE
Humanity is flawed, it silences itself and others, and this will remain the truth until we admit this or until we are extinct. The latter is more likely. The idea for glossodéti came from the truth. Feminism, environmentalism and speciesism: these are irrefutable truths. As a sculptural artist interested in communication, I aimed to create a satirical medal that was indisputable. glossodéti : tongue-tied : silenced
JESSICA STARNS
REFRIGERATOR MOTHERS
INSTALLATION, MIXED MEDIA
Leo Kanner a psychiatrist (who diagnosed autism ‘case one’, Donald Triplett) coined the term ‘Refrigerator Mothers’ in the 1950s. He believed that autism was caused by a lack of love from their mothers or parents and were freezing their children into a form of child schizophrenia. The ‘Refrigerator Mothers’ theory created a blame culture which still has an impact today where parents are blamed for ‘bad parenting’ or seen as ‘pushy’ or ‘over-protective’ for their children’s rights. I’ve asked others to share their story of parental love.
JIFFY
SEEING OTHER PEOPLE
MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER
This work is about looking at each other, communicating, share ideas. I look at people’s faces to see if they are friendly or not. People who wear glasses have different vision, some people are blind, so if you cannot see a person a blind person has to work out whether they are friendly or not. I consider myself lucky as despite wearing glasses my sight is good. A blind person has a stick usually white. A blind person works out if people are nice or not by the tone of their voice. They can figure out if they are kind or unkind.
JOHN BLACK
THERE IS A MAN AND WOMAN; THEY ARE EATING CHOCOLATE
MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER
There is a man and a woman in the park. They are eating chocolate. They are playing games. (Tennis.)
JOHN SHEEHY MACSHEEHY
CONVERSATION FOR TRUTH
ACRYLIC ON BOARD (FOUND MATERIAL)
This painting connects and engages with others, by the dynamic conversation which is being depicted which is imagined and considered by the viewer. As in the snippets we overhear in everyday life. The painting was created using found materials, reflecting our need to recycle and look after our planet, also showing that creativity can come from anywhere and anyone.
JOLENE DANDELION
PERSEUS AND MEDUSA
ACRYLIC AND GOUACHE ON CANVAS
Humanity, we, us, are surrounded by these animals constantly. Yet we either see them as vermin, or, a lovely added extra to a day out, maybe feeding them on a family trip. This piece represents our history, the behaviour of empire, our critical judgements we constantly make (see the acorn), and how we react to the events in our lives. Keeping humanity in mind, I feel this piece is a fantastic reflection of human psychology and the constant conflicted behaviour of humanity. The cognitive dissonance many of us seem to have.
JONATHAN OAKES
ASSIST
ACRYLIC, OIL PASTEL AND CHALK ON PAPER
Two figures perhaps, or maybe one figure with support of some kind. It is always good to know that someone or something is there when needed. There are many ways to help sometimes it is just listening at other times a hug is needed. It is sometimes hard to cuddle someone as much as you want to, just as it is sometimes hard to put your emotions into words.
KATE ROLISON
CATCHING FLIES
EMBROIDERY
‘Catching Flies’ is an embroidery about recovery, friendship, feeling at home, safe places, and dreams. The words are taken verbatim from a dream my best friend had about me while I was in the early days of recovery from severe mental illness. They fit with experiences I have enjoyed in my recovery, such as seeing the Kew giant waterlilies which are new to science and the largest in the world, and hearing a frog croak for the first time during the first lockdown.
KATHRYN MOORES
BROKEN HEAD
CERAMIC (TERRACOTTA), UNDERGLAZE, SLIP AND GLAZE
The composition of a low relief sculpture is my way of demonstrating the pressure on a person, figuratively and literally, from survival to conformity. The decorative aspect of the glazing will be differently interpreted by the viewer; makeup, tattoos, the lines of pain through the head from stress, trauma, even a migraine, and types of mental health responses to social constructs and identity destructed.
KAYA NIKITA
DROWNING
OIL PAINTS, PENCIL, OIL PASTELS ON PAPER
This is a piece of artwork based on mental illness, I created this piece around 3 years ago. I think mental illness is one of the most common human struggles and needs to be addressed through artwork with awareness of the reality. In this painting, I am the woman ‘’drowning’’ in emotions and negative thoughts, it’s to show how extreme it can get when it is not treated, there needs to be more help out there but for now, here is a personal piece.
KHAKI KEZZ ZA
EMERGING FROM THE EARTH
MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ON CANVAS
In the Lotus Sutra, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth are ideal examples of the Bodhisattva way. They appear in ’Emerging from the Earth.’“Each human life, together with its environment, is an expression of the fundamental lifeforce of the entire cosmos. It follows that any change in the inner life condition of a single human being can, at the deepest level of life itself, exert an influence on other human lives. Since nature and the cosmos are living entities, the waves emanating from one human life can shake the foundations of other living beings.” Daisaku Ikeda
KLARISSA KATZ
WITNESS
MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS
This artwork was created during an episode of psychosis. Once I’d recovered, I stored this work away and couldn’t look at it outside of photos I had on my phone. When it was accepted into the exhibition and took it out of storage to prepare it, I ended up altering the image out of anxiety. What it was before and what it is now is one piece of work just as I am different now to who I was then, both versions of myself and the artwork co-existing as one. The work focuses on pain as an experience within women with CPTSD.
LAURENCEMORGANART CAROUSEL
CHARCOAL, GRAPHITE AND SPRAY PAINT ON CARDBOARD
There is an anxiety or urgency in the portrait. It links to the theme of Humanity in some cultures throw-away, use and discard, surpassed tech scape and the destruction of the planet. The reliance the west has on quick dopamine hits with new, cheap, poor-quality gadgets is possible because of exploitation, low wages, slavery. Our shipping of waste to countries without the infrastructures to deal with the quantities because it is no longer our problem. It is cheaper than to invest in our circular economy and isn’t impedance to the carers or wealth of politicians, CEOs and execs.
LORRAINE STANLEY
PEEK-A-BOOB
SCULPTURE
Attraction, connection and sexual expression are human qualities. So are repulsion, disconnection and sexual repression. As a person with disabilities, I can see in other peoples’ eyes they often don’t ‘see’ me for myself – rather they see my ‘earth-suit’ (and my wheelchair). Being a wheelchair user in public, it often feels like I have put on an invisibility cloak. Even medical professionals have viewed me as asexual! My pottery shows my ‘tongue-in-cheek’ humour, equally accessible to people with sight-impairment. Shock/horror – I’m as naughty and frisky as the next person...and just as human!
LOUISE ROBERTSON
ME
PASTEL ON PAPER
It is me. I love colour.
LUC(E) RAESMITH
SOMEONE’S HONEY
MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ASSEMBLAGE
This assemblage portrait reflects, at one level, humanity’s current obsessions with celebrity, physical image, selfpromotion and the ‘selfie’. It is also expressive of humanity’s increasing dependence on the digital/electronic world but often at a cost to the natural world, here indicated by the image of bees whose existence is not only threatened by pesticides but also by the varied wifi wavelengths that connect the world wide web. My use of found objects is a lifestyle choice, for both humanity’s and nature’s sakes, to address the general excesses of our ‘self-sabotaging’ consumer culture.
LYNN COX
GAZE OF HU-MAN-ITY(THE MONSTER WHO WILL SAVE US)
SCULPTURE
Raped by Poseidon, monsterised by Athena as a punishment and post mortem weaponised by Perseus, Medusa gives us a chilling reflection on human society and how women have been mistreated and misrepresented throughout male dominated views into ‘man’s’ mythological and historical past. Taking over 400 hours, my Medusa has the beautiful woman with coiling snakes persona on one side and on the other the gorgoneia with tusks beard, bulbous nose and a lolling tongue. Which one is true?!
MANDI STEWART
OUR BODIES ARE NOT
PHOTO ETCHING
Mandi Stewart is a Disabled Artist graduating from the RCA with an MA in Print and a distinction in her dissertation researching the under-representation of Disabled Women Artists within the Art establishment. Mandi uses autobiographical and disability arts influences in her work. ‘Our Bodies are Not’ is a self-portrait which references prose from her dissertation. The work speaks to changing the lens that views our bodies as ‘Special, Tragic and Brave’ when they are ‘Ordinary, Joyous, Resilient and Equal!’ Humanity, equality and the right to self-determine underpin this work and Mandi’s practice.
MARILYN HENDERSON
IN YOUR EYES, I CAN SEE MY OWN REFLECTION PHOTOGRAPHY
This self portrait of the artist was taken as a response to the theme of how we view ourselves and each other. As an exploration of the subject, for me the reflections are reminiscent of how we can see glimpses of ourselves in the faces of other people. Although we like to think of ourselves as somehow unique, this image reminds us that we are more similar than we are different.
MARK PEARSON
FRIENDLY FACE
WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER
Mark’s paintings have a refreshing and uplifting quality, reminding of the simple pleasures around us.
MARZENA ABLEWSKA-LECH
GENESIS (MANDALA)
OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS
This work is about our ability to create, but all fish you see on it are endangered species, so it’s also about our ability to destroy. We should ask ourselves the question what does it mean ‘I am’. For me, ‘I am’ means ‘I am the part of much more than I’. If we realise that, maybe then we will be able to think about our world with tenderness and responsibility, so necessary to save it.
MEG MOSLEY
(DIS)CONTENT
FILM, 6.35 MINS
In (dis)content Meg employs her artistic direction, writing and production design in a series of performed ‘living pictures’. In this short film Meg brings to life, with dramatic staging, the human and emotional experiences that happen behind the addictive blue glow of our smart phones. Meg draws on the 10 years she’s spent exploring how social media can impact on ourselves. This work is about how it feels to be human in the digital landscape we all now find ourselves within.
MICHAEL POWELL
ACROSS THE TOPS, DARKNESS AND WONDER LURKS
PEN AND INK ON PAPER
Inspired by the UFO subculture that exists where I live in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, I feel this work connects well to this theme and the continual flux, renewal and imagination of the human condition.
MICHELLE ROBERTS
OLD BANDS
PITT ARTIST PENS ON CANVAS
This painting is about music. Michelle said this painting is ‘something I do on my own’ and she’s enjoys listening to ‘nice songs’. Michelle is an artist working with Project Art Works in Hastings. The subjects relate to experiences such as a holiday, a visit to the ‘Dinosaur World’ exhibition, others celebrate events like the Diamond Jubilee, Remembrance Day or films. Photographs are used for reference but as clues rather than images to be copied. The drawing is carefully detailed, subdividing shapes into patterns and displays fine control without hesitation or correction.
MODERNARTY
HIDING SCARS IN SIGHT
CLAY, WIRE AND PAPER MACHE SCULPTURE
It is about baring mental scars to others, even though you feel they are visible, to help promote understanding and acceptance. It’s about wanting to move forward but feeling chained to one place. It was created during covid, I was signed off with depression due to how I was being treated at work. I was isolated and losing faith in humanity. I tried to show my employers my pain, the anxiety, and depression, but they closed their eyes.
NAOIBH MCNAMEE
THE REALNESS
RUBBER GLOVES AND CANVAS
Autistic people often feel the need to mask in social situations, to fit in and to be accepted. This work which is inspired by a ghillie suit used in the military to hide into the environment is a comedic take on how I have tried to fit in but have often failed. By rejecting socialisation and living in a way which is more authentic to me, I have been able to demand my own agency. In the process, I have also been able to look at myself with kinder eyes, realising that if this work existed when I was younger I might not have felt so isolated and different.
NEB
ALIZARIN
MIXED MEDIA
A part of being human, one of the most important things about being human, is emotions. And art is a way of expressing our feelings. Alizarin is a painting which expresses how I felt, when I was too immature to even understand the concept of feelings. The figures in this painting are called ‘Phillip’. Phillip is one of three hallucinations i have daily. I have grown to acknowledge him to be a part of me. I like to say this is a portrait. ‘Phillip’ portrays minimal detail, eyes, noes, mouth, and torso.
PATRICIA SHRIGLEY
BREEDER
OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS
The feckless poor breeding like pigeons “the worst sort of sink-estate, single-mother, benefit-fraud trash imaginable” (Our politicians require more humanity)
PETER JONES
NO FOR A ROBOT
LINO PRINT
The artwork shows an unlikely scenario of a humorous conversation between two robots out shopping, dropping their old robot parts off at the charity shop before searching for new ones.
PHIL STEWART ARTIVIST
COVID - TO BE CONTINUED
PAPERING ON WASTE BOARD (FROM CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPERS)ON CARD
The artwork is an observation and comment on a period in time and a journey in which we all participated.
QING
WE ARE ALL CONNECTED IN THIS UNIVERSE
ACRYLIC PAINT ON CANVAS
We are all connected in a worldly web of network where everyone is tangled together. At times of feeling insignificant, it reminds us that we are not alone. My work portrays this inexplicable complexity of human beings. It connects all humans as everyone suffers in different ways, but there is also positive moment that uplifts us and brings us hope. Life is extremely complicated, we all have desires, regret, love, resentment, clarity, contentment, grief and hope. Although we can never fully understand the unique experience of others, we can be compassionate and empathise; This is what makes us human.
ROMY SHINER
THEODORA (ASYLUM SERIES)
BLACK BIRO, WHITE INK, WHITE PEN ON CARD FROM HARD BACK ENVELOPE
Drawing from photos of Victorian asylum patients, I’ve become completely absorbed with each one. Struggling with whether drawing these vulnerable people is morally right, I come back to knowing I’m creating in a conscious way, treating them with respect, seeing each with their own personal story. Capturing expressions is intense, but I have a sense of achieving something and perhaps bringing something of them back into the world they’d been shunned from. I’m paying respect to all mental health patients, including my mum (who I visited in a Victorian asylum in the 1980s) by reminding the world of their humanness.
SAJIDA ASIF
THIS HIJABI CAN - NADIYA HUSSAIN
MONTAGE ON BOARD
‘This Hijabi Can’ explores Hijabi women who have achieved successes despite prejudices and barriers in their life. I chose Nadiya Hussain because she has experienced so many obstacles, so much pain and suffering in her life yet she is one of the most forgiving humans who is extremely positive and a fantastic role model for all people whether they are British, Asian, Muslims, creatives, bakers or dreamers of any age, background or nationality. Her life and successes oozes humanity and I believe she deserves such recognition even if through art.
SAMUEL MCGANN
DEEP IN THOUGHT
ACRYLIC ACRYLIC INK AND OIL STICK ON CANVAS
It is a reflection of the feeling of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
SARA RIVERS
BLUE FLOWS
INK ON PAPER
Humanity is both personal and universal and this work draws out this paradox where the process of making a drawing and the emerging image create an overall image of the sadness and joy of being human. ‘Blue Flows’ is part of a series of ink work made after Covid in 2022. Lockdown had eased but there was a sense of grieving and uncertainty.
SARA ULFSPARRE
WORRY DOLL
MIXED MEDIA SOFT SCULPTURE
Humanity is our capacity for empathy. Having anxiety has given me a great deal of compassion towards others. In ‘Worry Doll’ I explore my relationship with anxiety. Inside me, there’s a smaller, wrapped in protective yarn. I want to unravel it, just a little, but I can’t find the loose end. So I whisper my worries and my fears to her, and tuck her back inside. Worry dolls originate from Guatemala and are given to anxious children. They tell their doll about their worries, then hide it under their pillow at night by the morning, all sorrows are taken away.
SARAH FORTES MAYER
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
FIBRE GLASS ACRYLIC PAINT
‘In the Blink of an Eye’, this sculpture is about the ageing process and what happens to our bodies as we age. To have compassion, to be creative, to love and care are all parts of humanity.
SARAH HARRIS
ONLY HUMAN
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH
I took this photo in late September 2022. The gardens are beautiful at this time of year, even though everything is dying. I wanted to express the tragedy and beauty of mortality, which to me is the essence of what it is to be human. We are all part of the natural world, which has its own endless season of new life, growth, maturity, ageing, death, and rebirth, and I believe that our mission in life should be to find peace both within ourselves and with one another as a species, and that it is only by doing this that we fully realise our own humanity.
SEW N SEW
THE CROWD - THE STATUES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
TEXTILE AND MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURE
Fourteen sculptures tell peoples stories and their rights to dignity, compassion, freedom, education, health care, nourishment and peace. Some of the crowd have shown dignity when faced with inhuman conditions, others demonstrate kindness, leadership, creativeness and activism. Including: The Dorset Button Maker, Nnema Kalu, Ozzle Box, The Bus Station Eccentric , The E-Bay Seller, Man of The Hole, Violeta Parra, Marguerite Sivins, The Lady of Irpin, Maria Franz ,The Librarian of Kabul, Anoma Paranathala -Gardener, Community Kitchen of Lima, Fulfulde Script.
SHIRO S PARR
HAMLET
CERAMIC SCULPTURE
Hamlet illustrates the struggle between humanity and nature. My fears are that humanity will not learn to work with nature, but I’m reassured that nature will survive and continue despite what humanity has done to it. Badgers are a perfect symbol for the struggle between nature and humanity, they are a well loved species and yet they are also being culled due to misunderstandings of the role they play between farming and nature.
SIMON LE BOGGIT
KIDNEY STONE HENGE (A MONUMENT TO TRUTH)
SCULPTURE
This micro-sculpture is made from Simon Le Boggit’s own kidney stones, harvested during several years of ultrasound Shock Wave Lithotripsy sessions. It is intended as a monument to the dedication, diligence and humane understanding shown by the caring staff of the UK’s incredible National Health Service, and also a stark reminder of the delicate nature of our ‘normality’, our health and mortality…
SOPHIE VALEIX
COMMON HUMANITY
PRINT FROM COLLAGE USING PAPER AND ACRYLIC PAINT
This is a print of an assemblage of twelve collages representing faces and made in 2020-2021. Suffering is common to all humans. Diagnosed with depression it helps to remember of this common humanity to be compassionate with ourselves. When depressed, we often appear numb or shut down from the outside, while inside hell is raging. Through my work, I make what is inside visible, reconciling what is too often hidden with what one can see. The faces I create represent the beauty and diversity of people as we could see them on the inside during or right after a depressive episode.
STEVE MURISON
WE WILL NEVER KNOW WORLD PEACE, UNTIL THREE PEOPLE CAN SIMULTANEOUSLY LOOK EACH OTHER STRAIGHT IN THE EYE
ACRYLIC PAINT ON CANVAS
We are one consciousnesses experiencing itself subjectively. All the visceral beauty, love, pain and horror we feel is a but a fleeting moment for our eternal soul. An indelible dip to carry forever onwards. I’ve made this cosmic totem with remnants of art spanning fifteen years, carrying all my messages to date, right up to the here and now. It’s all we have, collectively, a breath in and a breath out. We should make it count x
STRAIPH WILSON
UNTITLED
CERAMIC & GLAZES
Иew Urban Яeligious Objects.
SUZIE LARKE
BEAM ME UP
PHOTOGRAPHY
Lockdown affected us all in very different ways. The notion that we were ‘all in it together’ was simply not true. However, we did all have something in common. None of us had ever faced a global pandemic before. During lockdown, every evening, my partner Max would walk the dog down a cul de sac near our house. He said the light from the street lamp gave the street a slightly eerie, surreal atmosphere. It felt in tune with the surreal time we were living through, when we didn’t know what was going to happen next. As if anything was possible.
THE PHANTOMAT
52 FEARS OF TRANSGENDER
MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURE
I asked friends to write down what they are afraid of being transgender. Each fear was rolled up into a bottle. The sculpture consists of two front profiles of the opposite sex merged together to give the appearance of a complete human. Vintage bottles seam the silhouettes like messages in a bottle that only the ocean listens to. Once they are put aside, we can savour the cosmic magic of switching gender. The ability to transcend in our thoughts, which resulted in the medical technologies while being anchored in a body is what makes us human.
SOFIA TUOMINEN
GODDESS OF SEXUAL HEALTH
MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS
People fear sexual things , and I created this goddess like thing that shows how people see their sexual fears. Penis as a cross, flowers as nipples, etc, animals as erotic symbols etc.
V.RIVERS
RE:BIRTH
MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURE
The need for connection and safety is core to being human, but not everyone has access to these feelings, whether due to trauma, or separation. I made this sculpture to transform hurt and disconnection and encourage feelings of safety and love –a re-birth. Hidden inside the adult figure is a folk magic sachet representing a placenta, attached to the cord and the baby. The nursing chair is bound in cloots (cloth) dipped in Munlochy’s healing well, but made of thorned branches, because part of humanity’s experience is that connection, safety and love is always vulnerable, and requires constant care.
XAVIER WHITE
WRITE HERE RIGHT NOW (WORLD MAP PETITION TO WORLD AND CORPORATION LEADERS)
MIXED MEDIA
This artwork protests humanity’s need to heal Earth, ‘drawing’ attention to what threatens all life’s very existence, on the surface of Earth, an atmosphere little thicker than this canvas. This is a call for humanity to be responsible, repairing damage done. Humankind has to save itself from climate changes; as the population grows and fossil fuels are ravaged from the Earth’s core.
V.RIVERS – ‘RE:BIRTH’ PHOTO: TOM THISTLETHWAITE
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