To all the Kings who have no Crowns

The artwork exhibited, whilst appearing highly individual upon first viewing, has many similarities in the way it is produced. Each artist revels in the creative mark making process and, whilst the finished product is important, it is the act of creation itself and being given a voice, that many of the artists value most. Driven and often compelled to create, each generally unplanned piece gives us insights into the artist’s subconscious, values, or beliefs, with heavy layering, detail, rhythm, and repetition being the signature components. Most of the artworks are a riot of colour, whilst in stark contrast to these are the black and white intuitive and automatic storytelling drawings of Kate Bradbury, Hakunogawa, Chris Neate and Terence Wilde.

 

The large colourful works by Éric Derochette, Joe Goldman, Nnena Kalu and Dan Miller are characterised by their bold, confident, repetitious mark making with much, almost obsessive, overlapping of words, dense layering and imagery. Robert Fischer uses bold colours entwined with symbols and back to front text, whilst CJ Pyle’s art resembles weaving, displaying a woven knot technique in the faces. The colour preference for Obata is red; his colour of happiness, often depicting images of his family and things he cares about.

 

While some artworks are bold and imposing, Kokobu’s work feels quite private with the minute detail giving us an insight into how he views the world. The sculptures created by Shinichi Sawada, Pradeep Kumar, Terence Wilde, and Kate Bradbury are all very personal and distinctive, each artist using different mediums in the creation, including locally sourced Japanese clay, matchsticks, treasured possessions and objects found on the streets of London. Being self-taught, they’ve all found unique ways to breathe life into their ideas.

 

Some artists draw from their inner feelings and thoughts: Valerie Potter uses her art to describe the dense inner monologues and dialogues of her analytic mind; Raymond Morris expresses the spiritual forces he feels exert a daily influence on his daily life; Margaret Mousseau uses it as a way to work though some of the hardships she experienced in her childhood and the profound effect it has had on her life; Chris Neate is guided by some external force controlling his hand, believing that the act of drawing balances him and keeps him calm; and Terence Wilde draws on his own mental health journey as an adult survivor.

This thought-provoking show is designed to challenge preconceived ideas, and to stimulate conversation and interaction. This accessible exhibition not only allows you to appreciate the stunning artwork, it also gives you the opportunity to observe an artist in action. Nnena Kalu will be showcasing her practice through live drawing in the space. This will be filmed for those that miss out, with the new drawings becoming part of the exhibition.