Jerwood space talk 18th October

Well attended event with presentations from Jenny Lomax, Mel Jackson, Warren Andrews and Jeremy Darren.
Jenny Lomax, director of the Camden Arts Center talked about her interpretation of drawing from the point of view of the gallery and curator. Recent exhibitions shown at her space cited included Eva Hess, in particular her studio photographs of her work which take on a drawing quality of black marks in a white space. The Anna Marie Maiolino exhibition featured works consisting of multiples of unglazed clay forms, suggesting a process or series of works, which when assembled take on elements of marks made. I think that seeing these 3D works presented in the 2D format of a slide gave a more immediate impression of the drawing elements found in the works.

Student prize winner Warren Andrew talked about his practice primarily concerned with the immediacy of the mark making, and of the presentation of these works giving the observer the opportunity to witness the mark “Art creates a space for dialog to take place in”

As a previous prize winner and current head of sculpture at Slade, Mel Jackson presented her recent works examining the qualities of paper, in terms of its function and also the information is carries and the forms it takes. Engaging with the scientific advances in micro-imaging and DNA manipulation, her works of sculptures representing grains of pollen offer a close up personal experience of the invisible rendered in crude earthy material.

I found the presentations really interesting, and was looking forward to an equally interesting and engaging discussion. I was not expecting, perhaps naively, that the audience would feature such an outspoken selection of unsuccessful entrants, keen to press the panel and Jenni Lomax in particular (she was one of the judges) on their views and definition of what could authentically qualify for a ‘drawing’ prize. These lengthy and disruptive contributions seemed more personally motivated than constructively contributing to the discussion. I was pleased I was present to clarify my own work when it came into question.
It was interesting talking to other exhibitors afterwards, and i don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing a piece of my own work in an exhibition!
I’m really glad I made the effort to attend, and it made me realise how accessible events like this are. There are lots of events to engage in like this, and I’m looking forward to attending more in the future.