Bidding for our Winter Auction is now open until 23rd November! We sat down with Elsa Rouy, whose artwork is included in Ell Pennick's curated selection, to discuss the postcards she donated, how they fit into her wider practice and what she is currently working on.
]]>They are an exploration of new ways to explore imagery relating to tenderness and brutality, two themes that I consistently explore. I used charcoal and paint to play with nonspace and mark making as a way to create the duality of the hard and softness of the moment. Stripping the image down to attempt to emulate the complexities of intimacy in 4 simple images.
They follow similar themes and are consistent with their use of the implication of blood and intimacy. However, they have opened up a new avenue in my practice, in 'Kissers' I made the artworks by using mark making and block colour, there is no use of line. The process changed the dynamic of the image and is something I am intrigued by, it abstracted the scene, creating more feeling than if it was a definitive snapshot of the moment. I am planning on taking this into my wider practice and exploring the relation it can have with the painting style I have pre-developed.
I have a few shows coming up where I am really happy with the body of work, notably a show for Steve Turner in November. The works are calmer and much more gentle than previous pieces but incorporate imagery that are loosely influenced by the formatting of gothic literature.
Lots 1-4. Elsa Rouy - Curated by Ell Pennick
]]>Bidding for our Winter Auction is now open until 23rd November! We sat down with Hurvin Anderson, whose artwork is included in Katherine Kittoe's curated selection, to discuss the postcard he donated and the experiences that inspire his artwork.
]]>The Avenue is based on a found photograph. I can’t remember the exact origin of the image but it was amongst a collection of photographs and material I keep in the studio. I was drawn to the ambiguity of the source image. There is an abstract quality to the trees and a softening of the focus that made me reinterpret the formality of the quite generic front garden scene to create something a little more intriguing. For me, it morphed into a kind of forest or copse but it is hard to totally decipher. I enjoy this in painting, the introduction of questions, of not knowing.
I am often driven to paint landscapes from memory or found photographs, recently returning to scenes exploring the verdant foliage of the Caribbean while also trying to expose or augment them with a sense of displacement or nostalgia. I like to observe, recreate and edit much in the same way as memory works. I’m interested in what it means to belong to a landscape. I like how a sense of time and place can sometimes be allusive, that the literal interpretation lies somewhere in the hinterland between figuration and abstraction.
What initially springs to mind is my Peter’s series of paintings that I created after visiting an attic barbershop with my dad. It was years ago now but everything about the set up stayed with me and I guess it was poignant as there was the bond there between father and son; the legacy of ritual in a way. But beyond that, for me it became an almost obsessive project. There was a lot of playing with conventions of composition and perspective until the figuration was totally replaced by abstraction and the cosy attic set-up reduced to the turquoise geometric forms of the walls and ceiling.
For our annual Winter Auction, Art on a Postcard has invited six guest curators - we will be introducing each curator with a short interview. Bidding for the auction is currently open until 23 November via Dreweatts Auction House. This week we sat down with Frankie Shea, an arts producer, project manager, art advisor and dealer, born and based in London.
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This week we sat down with Frankie Shea, an arts producer, project manager, art advisor and dealer, born and based in London.
For Art on a Postcard, I chose artists that I have worked with in the past and included some young emerging artists who I personally like.
I worked within the art world on a secondary market basis, but became embedded into the street art movement and began to manage several artists from the genre. When I attempted to break into the art-fair circuit to further exhibit my roster, I found the door was firmly closed. So, in the typical DIY/Street art ethos, I decided to start my own art fair dedicated to artists with roots in urban culture. I grew the fair and sold it several years later to concentrate on public art initiatives and various brand campaigns, but since the lockdowns occurred, I’ve reverted back to mostly secondary market art dealing … and I’m enjoying that very much.
I recently discovered the Iranian artist Fa Razavi through my friend and gallerist Kevin Martin and her practice captured my attention. Other artists I’ve relatively recently been collecting are from the notorious and prolific graffiti writers 10FOOT and TOX. I like the rawness.
A Picasso from his Blue Period, An early Bridget Riley painting and a late 90’s KAWS Bus Stop Ad-Disruption
The Italian Renaissance exhibition that will be taking place at the Royal Academy and early retirement … (which isn’t happening).
97. Sam Lock - Leave and Return
35. Coco Lom - Shadow Ladder
178. Ian Everard - Verso Vanishing Point Four
233. Lee Knott - Bit of an Apple 5
306. Janie Longmore - Flush
]]>Bidding for our Winter Auction is now open until 23rd November! We sat down with Nigerian-born London-based artist Ken Nwadiogbu (Lots 461-463) to discuss his artistic, the use of the eye motif in his artworks, and his pieces in the auction.
]]>My name is Ken Nwadiogbu, I am a Nigerian-born London-based visual artist. The concept of layering plays a pivotal role in my 'Art on a Postcard' pieces. As an artist, I view my identity as a composition of various layers of experiences, shaped by my exposure to cities like Lagos and London, and a myriad of others across the globe. This multifaceted perspective on life extends to my artistic practice. I hold a deep appreciation for layers as they provide a canvas for me to explore diverse mediums, each possessing its own unique characteristics. In my art, I often blend materials such as acrylic with oil or charcoal with collage. However, for my 'Art on a Postcard' creations, I intentionally opted for charcoal and acrylic. Charcoal, in particular, holds a special significance for me, as it was the medium I initially embraced when I began my artistic journey.
Is there any continuity between these pieces and your wider practice? In my practice, I have started to delve into abstract expression, exploring its facets. I'm essentially combining abstract expression and realism, in a way to bring the familiar into surreal spaces. I believe that by combining both the visual and emotional elements of my experiences, we gain a deeper understanding of the context of memory. Memories, as we know, are not stored in their entirety but rather exist in bits and fragments.
In the eyes, there exists a potent force. Some say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul. Furthermore, when you engage in direct eye contact with someone, you can feel a powerful energy. This is the energy I want to evoke in the work. With the recurring theme of the eyes in my artwork, my aim is to establish a connection with the viewers. It's not merely about looking; but also, about being seen. I want the artwork to engage in a dialogue with you, creating a space where the artwork communicates with the viewer.
Lots 461-463. Ken Nwadiogbu
]]>For our annual Winter Auction, Art on a Postcard has invited six guest curators - we will be introducing each curator with a short interview. Each curator's mini auction will be open from 9-23 November via Dreweatts Auction House alongside Art on a Postcard's main auction.
This week we sat down with Millie Jason Foster, director of Gillian Jason Gallery.
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When selecting artists for Gillian Jason Gallery to work with, there are three main questions that I ask myself. First, does looking at the artwork resonate with me enough to evoke an emotion? Second, does the artist have intellectually and/or culturally rigorous themes that provide a concept towards the way they create? And third, is there visible consistency within the practice? The combination of these answers help me shape how I work with the artist and where to place them within the gallery programme.
When it comes to exhibitions, each show must fit similar criteria to the above. All exhibitions at GJG are accompanied by a text on the wall and full catalogue, which provides rationales and academic weight to every selected for the show. While I solely work with female identifying artists, not every exhibition needs to have a feminist theme. Rather, it is about supporting each individual artist to make their passions and interests a reality.
Could you provide a brief overview of your career in the art world? How did you arrive at your current position?
While I started in the Finance & Tech industries, I had grown up around my Grandmother’s art dealership. Gillian was a pioneer in the Modern British movement, an intellectual woman with a formidable presence. When my Grandmother retired a few years ago, it felt like a calling to re-open the gallery in her name. My mother and co-Director, Elli and I wanted to honour Gillian’s pioneering legacy by shifting the focus of the gallery to solely champion art by women. Having worked in the art industry for half a decade, and with a Masters in Art Business from Sotheby’s, I am confident about furthering stable careers for women across the art sector.
At AOAP we are always keen to champion emerging talent. What rising stars are you most excited about in your auction?
It was really important to me that every artist that I selected for AoaP is an emerging female artist to watch. To name a few, Phoebe Evans, Daisy Collingridge, Zarina Khan, Hope Turnbull and Daisy Collingridge. Each artwork in the selection is a jewel by individuals I believe have something to say and whose voices only grow louder.
‘I never Asked to Fall in Love - You made me Feel like This, 2020’ by Tracey Emin. This piece was in Emin’s exhibition ‘The Loneliness of the Soul’ alongside Edvard Munch at the Royal Academy. Not only was the exhibition a beautiful collaboration of great creators throughout art history, but the painting itself completely stopped me in my tracks. Emin’s exhibition is one of the first where I wasn’t afraid to cry.
Upcoming at GJG, I am so excited to be presenting a roster of extraordinary female artists through the ages. In November & December, we have Eleanor Johnson, an extraordinary abstract-figurative painter. In January 2024, the African-American Abstract-Expressionist artist, Milan Young, who paints from the heart will display a series of paintings that evoke ‘emotions in colour’. And for International Women’s month, we will be highlighting Berenice Sydney, an artist working in the late 20th Century who pioneered so much of what we know of Abstract Art today. Sydney is in some incredible institutional collections world-wide, yet she has lacked exposure due to the historical under-exhibition of female artists in both the private and public industry; since we took on her estate, GJG has been working towards championing Sydney’s work in both the academic and commercial realm.
After studying History of Art at Oxford I worked in the commercial art world for a couple of years but didn't feel particularly happy. There wasn't much laughter and there was a lot of pressure on being seen at the right events, getting the right invites, knowing the right people, and behaving in the right way. I had been doing improv and stand-up since university and during the first COVID lockdown I started a series of interviews on YouTube with comedians I had met and performed with, chatting to them about an artwork of their choice. In 2021 these developed into live art-themed comedy shows, which I've since taken to the National Gallery, Royal Museums Greenwich, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I'm now fully freelance and work as a critic and presenter, and have recently worked on a series of videos with Tate. I host Voice FM's weekly Arts & Culture Show for which I'm shortlisted for the Community Radio Awards' Newcomer of the Year award, which was a nice surprise. Each of the different areas of my career are centred around speaking about art in an engaging way, and I'm looking forward to what will come next.
I'm really pleased that most of the artists in my auction have never taken part in an AOAP auction before. So far in my career I've been afforded some great experiences thanks to the recommendations of people in my network, so I was glad that I was able to invite some really kind folk to take part. It's probably a cheat answer to say "I can't choose! They're all so good!" but I really do love each piece that the artists have donated and they're all headed for really exciting things.
The first thing that came to mind was Tiz Creel's Space for autonomous imagination (2020) which I saw at Deptford X years ago, which is this fantastic inflatable sculpture. I can imagine nipping in each day for a bit of reflection and a bounce.
I'm looking forward to Art Laughs returning to the National Gallery in February, as well as some other fun dates currently in the planning stage. My work can be quite hard to predict more than a month or so in advance, so I'm not sure exactly what 2024 will bring but I'm hopeful that it'll include exciting collaborations, new projects, and good stuff I've not even considered yet.
504. Jack Milroy - 17-1524
512. Selina Snow - Alsorts - Orange
580. 10FOOT - Rainham Barges
260. Jonathan R Bennett - Empty Rhetoric
378. Winnie Hall - Good Luck From Stone Henge 2
Headshot Photography Credit: Karla Gowlett
]]>We have strong sociopolitical exhibition themes that have a clear message and create space for constructive dialogue!
My journey into the art world began with my frustrations at the lack of meaningful opportunities for people like me. I couldn't accept a place at the Royal College of Art, due to my financial status, and this experience made me start questioning the broader social austerity within the arts. I launched Guts to create a fair art-business model, something that holds far more importance to me than a piece of paper with a master's grade on it. My mission became clear: to champion emerging artists and help them demand the respect and ownership they truly deserve.
All of them! I can't choose one!
'Lovers at Night 2023' by Doron Langberg
A solo exhibition with Elsa Rouy and a duo exhibition with Olivia Sterling and Lydia Pettit!
26. Henry Glover - Simply Done
482. Daisy Collingridge - Facescape (Miniature 2)
93. Fungai Marima - On A Mission
485. Phoebe Evans - Ambivalence
489. Precious Opara - Universe in a Drop
Headshot Photography Credit: Brynley Odu Davies
]]>To accompany Art on a Postcard's auction raising proceeds for Eastbourne-based charity, St Wilfrid's Hospice, we sent participating artist Sean Worrall some questions to answer about his pieces.
Sean Worrall has donated several of his Skyline paintings to Art on a Postcard events in the past and for this one focussed especially on Eastbourne and the pier, something that fitted in perfectly with Sean's ongoing exploration of Skylines and the notion of looking up.
Bidding for the auction is open from 14 September to 3rd October. The artworks have been split into three separate auctions. Sean's artworks are Lot 195-197 and are in the second postcard auction.
The Postcards: Part I (Lots 1-136)
This auction will close on 3rd October at 2pm (BST)
The Postcards: Part II (Lots 137-269)
This auction will close on 3rd October at 3pm (BST)
The Paintings and Ceramics
This auction will close on 3rd October at 4pm (BST)
The video was produced and directed by Marina Anthony. The questions were sent in by Art on a Postcard's Moriah Ogunbiyi. The video made in September 2023.
One of the most exciting artists in our 2023 Summer Auction is Zimbabwean artist Tafadzwa Masudi! We sat down with Tafadzwa to discuss his formative years in Zimbabwe, the process behind his dazzling colours, and the projects he's most excited coming up!
]]>Major effects inherited from growing up in this African city are perseverance and resilience, which l carried through into my practice and my paintings.
Zimbabwean artists who inspired me most are Mishek Masamvu, Chikonzero Chazunguza, Dominic Benhura and Portia Zvavahera.
My paintings are an extension of these two worlds merged together - from the colourful textiles where l formed a sense of colour combination and experimentation thereof to the crotchet and weaving from my grandma and my aunties, which is what l use mostly on my background patterns. Also sometimes cloths and my own interpretation of it.
My mindset during that period was to learn as much as l can from that industry, aiming to eventually have the confidence and network to do my own thing. The experience allowed me to stay in the creative space and led me to where l am at present.
Maricho is a word that refers to part-time and often undesirable work done to put food on the table. Many foreigners find themselves in this situation. It implies the lowering of oneself, one’s dignity, ego and persona. For example, here in South Africa you would often find qualified teachers or bankers who end up working as waiters or garden.
The obscurity of identity refers to the separation of one’s self with what one goes through and desires. The balloons are not just masks of optimism, it also represents the composed pressure under which most of us are. My ideas and creations play a major role in terms of my identity. Besides being an introvert, you can imagine how valuable the opportunity to create art and make a living off it is to me.
Whenever l paint l am in conversation with the artwork. It often directs me to where it wants to be taken based on the idea presented. l put together a feel and an optimistic environment that’s lovable and inviting and hopefully it will spark a conversation.
Indeed. Besides producing works for the galleries I work with, my focus at present is working on a body of paintings that will form part of an installation of paintings that will be on show later this year at the AKAA art fair in Paris in October.
]]>We're delighted to introduce the guest curator of our upcoming mini auction: Jack Trodd, founder of Brushes with Greatness! We sat down with Jack and asked him about his career in the arts so far, the artists he's most excited about, and what artwork he would buy if money was no object!
]]>First and foremost a desire to return to a passionate and fulfilling profession. Whilst BWG was in its conceptual infancy (at the end of 2020) I was a freelance marketing consultant. I started doing private commercial consultancy for artists and designers on a 'helping out friends' basis, whilst deciding the avenue that fit best for me in the arts. In doing so I witnessed too many of the artists I was supporting/speaking to being exploited and mistreated by galleries, commercial clients and collectors. I wanted to protect these creatives whilst also offering them opportunities. I love experiential exhibitions and felt there was a lack of curatorial commitment to EXPERIENCE on the commercial circuit. I wanted to see if I could create an artist first, commercial and experiential arts enterprise I don’t see in many places. The vision was to offer all artists and viewers something to enjoy, with conceptual curation - the deepest love discovered along the way - and high production exhibitions at the axis. Giving emerging artists commercial experience in a safe environment is essential to helping them know their value and how they should be treated. Hopefully helping accelerate their early career gallery and commercial opportunity navigation.
My career thus far? Fast, full on and fun as hell. The rate with which BWG has grown in 2 years, the responses, the community, the willingness of my idols, galleries and other industry’s leaders to collaborate and advise us on the journey - it’s all very empowering. Hopefully we can continue to progress the change that the industry needs to see around transparency and equal opportunities.
I'd been reading poem after poem from different collections associated to my focal interests that would offer a broad yet centric focus for artists working in many styles to respond to. And when you know, you know. Muriel Rukeyser's poem is so positive, passionate and metaphorically naturalistic, despite the oppressed and downtrodden era, it couldn't have felt more right. There are abundant references in there merging the earth and inter human harmonious response. The title is an excerpt from the first line of the poem.
When approaching an exhibition idea, I always search for a spark which inspires positive connection with the self, the earth and compassion for each other (or the lot). This is often discovered in other exhibitions. I’m romanced by shows where the work is founded on poetry, books, excerpts from alluring literature etc - Elsa Rouy's exhibition ‘I Could Always Crack a Joke’ (GUTS Gallery, May 2022) and Ken Currie's solo exhibition ‘The Black Boat’ (Flowers Gallery, Nov 2022) were recent stand outs - and wanted to play with this conceptual approach for one of my curatorial group projects.
A poem inspired an artist, inspired an exhibition, inspired my curatorial desire. And so repeats the cycle.
Don’t ask me to choose between my 50 favourite children AOAP!! But hey, we’ve been lucky enough that some of my personal world favourites have agreed to contribute to the auction so we'll stick to my lifers for this hard question:
Andrew Salgado
Ben Edge
Hira Gedikoglu
Loren Erdich
Minyoung Choi
I’m lucky enough to be working towards a 2024 project with Hira Gedikoglu following the rave response to her Black Dog works on paper I exhibited in BWG Gallery’s Feb 2022 group exhibition Two by Two.
The answer changes weekly!
Being true to my landscape-loving form however, it’d have to be View of Toledo by El Greco. I always loved what a front runner to the focal landscape movement this piece was, and how fantastical, grand and medieval it looks. I particularly like the odd perspectives, making the hills and mountains look like they’re shaped to the tight curvature of the earth. It’s steeped in art history whilst being totally original in its day. It makes one feel as though they’ve fallen into a high-fantasy epic as much as the Spanish Renaissance. I feel a few of the artists I work with - Joe Grieve, Raffael Bader, Suhaylah H. - have this kind of original flare in their approach to landscapes. Originating and adapting the movement with new eyes, new earthly passions and raw technical flare to take us on a journey.
This year we see the return of BWG stars like the aforementioned Joe Grieve and Suhaylah H. for their second solo exhibitions with BWG Gallery, following their 2022 sell out first solo exhibitions. Plus, some new faces like Ingram Prize Winner James Dearlove.
On the Agency side of BWG following a freshly confirmed collaboration, we will be hosting a group exhibition in the ridiculously grand rotunda room at Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square, Tower Bridge later this year.
I also have the pleasure of co-running the Colstoun Artist Residency up in Scotland which we launched January 2022. In Nov/Dec we will be hosting a touring exhibition of this next generation of world class contemporary landscape painters, up there and here in London.
Meet Lee Sharrock, a curator, writer and creative publicist, and one of seven female curators we have asked to curate our upcoming International Women's Day Auction, 2023.
]]>Women are still underrepresented in gallery and museum shows, art fairs and Biennials, and fetch much lower prices at auction than male artists. There isn’t one woman artist in the Top 10 auction prices to date, but there are plenty of alpha males (Picasso, Bacon, Munch, da Vinci etc.) However things are rapidly changing and the gender imbalance in the art world is being addressed: I noticed a big shift at last year’s Venice Biennale, when Sonia Boyce won the Golden Lion for her exhibition in the British Pavilion, and Cecilia Alemani was the curator of the Biennale, which resulted in a noticeable focus on more women artists, including many surrealists such as Leonora Carrington.
Since I started out in the art world at Sotheby’s, there were always plenty of women working in that industry, and I had a really interesting job as an administrator in the 19th Century European paintings department. And when I got to know the contemporary art gallery scene, there were and still are some very prominent and respected gallerists and museum directors such as Victoria Miro, Sadie Coles and Frances Morris. There are also a lot of successful women art critics and writers, including Katy Hessel who rewrote Gombrich’s famous tome ‘The Story of Art’ as ‘The Story of Art without Men’, following a similar timeline but featuring only women artists (not one woman artist was mention in his original book printed in 1950). Hessel deservedly won the Waterstone’s book of the year for her valuable reassessment of art history.
When I was at school my favourite subject was art, and I wanted to be a fine artist for a while. I took a foundation course at Norwich University of the Arts, and then I studied History of Art and Italian at University College London (UCL) with a year at the University of Bologna in Italy. After graduating, I worked at Sotheby’s Auctioneers, first of all in the wine department, which was fun, and then in 19th Century European Paintings as an administrator. I left Sotheby’s to work for the Chairman of M&C Saatchi, because I had an interest in the advertising industry. I spent a couple of years at M&C and at that time went to several exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery, which ignited my interest in contemporary art and led to me finding a job in a small gallery in Mayfair called Laurent Delaye. Laurent represented Grayson Perry before he won the Turner Prize, so I got to work with Grayson and some other interesting artists such as Rut Blees Luxembourg. I ended up working for the director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and during my time there I became interested in PR and got involved in arranging the private views and special events. I met some amazing artists and musicians at the ICA including Yoko Ono and the Pet Shop Boys, and my highlights were definitely working on the Pet Shop Boys performance of a new score for ‘Battleship Potemkin’ in Trafalgar Square with the Dresdner Sinfonika, and Yoko Ono’s exhibition ‘Odyssey of a Cockroach’. I had to greet the Directors’ guests at the back entrance of the ICA and bring them to the office in a tiny lift, and I remember being rather tongue tied when I greeted Yoko Ono, and everyone in the meeting hung on her every word when we were discussing the exhibition. Her private view was amazing and the great and good of the London art and music worlds came, David Byrne of Radiohead, Sam Taylor Wood and even Lucien Freud made an appearance.
After the ICA I worked at Timothy Taylor Gallery, starting out on the front desk and then getting involved in the PR and ending up taking care of press for major artists including Bridget Riley, who was a formidable, inspiring woman and such a talented artist. Then I moved back to advertising and became Head of Global Creative PR at Saatchi & Saatchi where I spent several years. During my time at Saatchi & Saatchi I was responsible for PR of the New Director’s Showcase in Cannes, which spotlighted many amazing directors who went on to have stellar careers. After leaving Saatchi & Saatchi I set up my own business as a Creative PR consultant and curator, and ever since I’ve straddled the worlds of art and advertising, with clients in both areas including an advertising agency called Serviceplan Group who have Houses of Communication around the world that I handle international communications for. Those worlds cross over a lot more than they did when I started out on my career, and I like the variation of working as a publicist, a curator and also writing for arts publications. Art, music, fashion, film, design, advertising, photography, all these disciplines bounce off and inspire each other, so I’ve found a nice balance that enables me to work with a variety of creatives in different disciplines.
I admire all the artists that I’ve featured in my auction, but I’m particularly excited about Yurim Gough. Yurim is a ceramicist of South Korean origin, who I worked with last year when she had a solo exhibition ‘VainEgo’, supported by Arts Council England at APT Gallery in South London, which featured ceramic bowls, busts, photography, painting and film, all inspired by her own personal journey and in particular on her breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
Yurim also exhibited in ‘Rebirth’, a group show I curated last spring at 99 Projects. She had a really prolific run of exhibitions in 2022 – exhibiting at the Fondation d’entreprise Bernardaud ‘Esprits libres: Céramique affranchie’ group show in France during the summer, and at the Mall Galleries last November in the ING Discerning Eye Annual Exhibition. Most recently I saw her ceramics at the London Art Fair. I love Yurim’s contemporary take on the art of ceramics, with an autobiographical approach, which is authentic and captivating, and a flair for storytelling through beautiful draughtsmanship. Her work has hints of Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois and Grayson Perry, yet it’s completely unique. She’s definitely one to watch.
Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne (1520–1523) which is in the collection of the National Gallery, and has been a favourite painting of mine since studying it during my Art History Degree at UCL when our tutor took us to the National gallery to study it up close. The painting illustrates a story told by Ovid and Catullus, of Cretan princess Ariadne, who was abandoned on the Greek island of Naxos by Theseus, his ship sailing away in the distance. God of wine Bacchus fell in love at first sight with Ariadne and leapt from his chariot towards her, before throwing her crown into the air and immortalising her as the Corona Borealis constellation, represented in the painting by stars above her head.
]]>Read our Q&A with Beth Greenacre, one of our seven female curators for our International Women's Day Auction. Discover Beth's collection, what it was like to work with David Bowie, and the artists she's currently championing.
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I do sadly…. Female artists remain under-represented in the art world despite outnumbering men studying in art school; currently, while 66% of art students on postgraduate courses are female or non-binary, 67% of the artists represented by commercial galleries in the UK are male. Women and non-binary artists accounted for 32% of the works acquired for Tate’s collection in 2021: a small improvement that does little to address the historic gender balance. The National Gallery acquired four works in 2021, all by men; of the 2,300 works in the collection, 24 are by women.
Thankfully other areas, such as the non-commercial sector are making bigger strides. The number of female artists representing Great Britain at the Venice Biennale now sits at a 50/50 split over the past 10 years. The Turner Prize, too, has most frequently been awarded to women, with 66% of winners over the last decade identifying as female. And in terms of institutional exhibitions, the percentage of solo shows dedicated to women in non-commercial galleries and museums rose from 39% in 2017 to 55% in 2019.
In 2019 the representation of living female artists in commercial galleries in London was up 4% over two years, but was still only 32%. The traditional auction houses continue to show incredibly slow progress. The Freelands Foundation Report of 2019 (where all the previously stated data is sourced from) revealed that one of the main London auction houses increased the number of female artists across their evening sales by just 2% in 2019 compared to the previous year, and that 80% of the ten highest-grossing sales were works by men. Between 2008 and 2019 women made just 2% of the worldwide auction market and so it would appear that auction houses - remain confused as to how staggeringly marginalised women’s contribution to art is, in terms of value and also representation.
Hard work, belief, and conviction in the art world artists and myself as well as some good luck along the way… I graduated from The Courtauld Institute of Art and Birkbeck University and from early in my career until the artists’ death, I worked with David Bowie as curator of his collection. That was a major catalyst and driver in getting to where I am today.
I am very excited by the brilliant Caroline Zurmely who I have included in the forthcoming auction. Caroline, who lives and works in Dallas, Texas uses nail polish in her practice which explores tabloid photography and scenes of public intrigue in tight close-ups… some of us remember these scenes regardless of the cropping and distance in time, inviting a sense of the uncanny and intimacy.
I am also a huge fan of Karyn Lyons who creates scenes from girlhood which balance the dark with the dreamlike, I am transported back to awkward kisses and the sense of anxiety and excitement via the lens of contemporary cinema and society portraitists from art historical.
I am thrilled to include Pam Evelyn as an artists I have been following for some time and who I think is making exceptional paintings that explore the possibilities, and properties of her chosen medium and the history of painting, from the AbEx generation to British Moderns such as Lanyon and Auerbach.
I am curating an exhibition with Vortic which is a platform that provides an exceptional programme of exhibitions within the Vortic digital and virtual world. I have been excited about the potential of the digital to encourage access to art and connect with wider audiences for many years and the platform offers the highest quality digital viewing experience opportunities for incredible content and reach. The exhibition I am working on explores what happens when artists use mirrors physically, literally, or allegorically in their art practice. The exhibition called, I’ll be your mirror, will run from 17 April for 12 weeks and includes Eduard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies Bergère from The Courtauld Collection. Manet use of the mirror makes his painting one of the most mysterious, brilliant and compelling paintings in recent Western art history and it continues to incide deabte to this day. The exhibition includes contemporary artists such as Robert Longo, María Berrío, Christopher Page and Laura Lancaster alongside work by historical figures such as Francesca Woodman, Camille Billops, Claude Cahun and Paula Rego.
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Yes, this is unfortunately the case. My fellow curators in this auction have referenced case studies and statistics that show this disparity, with Louise Fitzjohn speaking particularly about the struggles artist mothers face and Carrie Scott referencing the disappointing statistics of female artists represented in galleries as opposed to their male counterparts.
Still, I’m so lucky to be part of an all-female team at Art on a Postcard, which has supported me in curating my first auction. Having my first auction be filled with female-identifying artist and for our International Women’s Day Auction has been such a joy and makes me hopefully for the future.
I consider myself a curator in progress, as I am right at the start of both my curatorial journey and my career in the art world. After studying art history, I gained some experience in marketing, before joining Art on a Postcard in 2021. There’s never a quiet moment at AOAP and after over a year of supporting with auctions and meeting artists, I’m looking forward to my first show!
It’s so difficult to pick just one, as the majority of the artists in my show are ones that I discovered recently over the last year and who are emerging talents! Being half-Korean, I really wanted to champion emerging artists of Asian heritage, so I’m particularly excited about Mizuki Nishiyama’s work, as she’s incorporated Japanese Ink painting techniques, 'Sumi', in her cards, and Alya Hatta, who takes inspiration from both her South-London and Kuala Lumpur residences.
What a choice to make! I really love Shara Hughes - one of her large-scale landscapes would be an absolute dream (though neither my budget or tiny flat can accommodate it currently!). I also think the works of Danielle McKinney, Yuri Yuan and Anthony Cudahy are all outstanding.
Over the last year, I’ve really fallen in love with the artworks of Cece Philips and Shaqúelle Whyte, who we've worked with at AOAP, they are definitely artists I'll be keeping my eye on and looking to collect one day!
AOAP has some really outstanding auctions coming up, including our April auction with War Child UK as well as a mini auction with a new guest curator, Jack Trodd (Brushes with Greatness Gallery).
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Absolutely and this has been proven with data from The Burns Halperin Report 2022, which gives a very gloomy reality check for many in terms of the success of women in the art world, or lack of, and that despite the protests of many, women are still wildly underrepresented in museums, galleries and auctions. Even worse off are artist mothers, as Hettie Judah so brilliantly put together in her recent book ‘How Not To Exclude Artist Mothers (and Other Parents)’.
Last year I curated an exhibition called ‘Matrescence’ featuring the work of artist mothers and, building on this, I have solely selected artist mothers for the AOAP International Women’s Day Auction, to give them a platform which is often denied to them. To show that the conversations they are having are incredibly important. Yes their works may have been painted on the kitchen table during nap time, or with a child strapped to their chest, but this sheer determination to create in fits and bursts gives the work an unparalleled energy. These artists should be championed at all costs and I am so delighted to use this fantastic platform to showcase such a varied bunch of brilliant artists.
I am so privileged to have opened my own Gallery in Margate in October 2022. After operating online for just over a year, a fantastically quirky little space came up and I couldn’t resist. Prior to Liminal Gallery, I was the Director for a London-based Gallery for 10 years, and before that worked in various galleries, working my way up from intern to curator. It has been a long journey but one which I am so passionate about. I truly feel so lucky to be in a position where I can champion the artists which I am so excited by – who are working in ways I haven’t seen before and are truly challenging the art world.
I am so excited about all the artists I have brought into the auction, which is why I am working with them all. I honestly think there is so much incredible talent in my line up, so it is impossible to say. However, I do currently have a solo exhibition with Alexis Soul-Gray, who is an absolute rising star. She just had a sell-out solo exhibition in Stockholm at the end of 2022, has her solo exhibition with me at Liminal Gallery, is in a group exhibition at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery and has an upcoming solo exhibition in LA in the Summer. She is destined for great things and it’s been such a joy to watch her flourish over the past 3 years.
Without a doubt, I would buy a Michaela Yearwood Dan painting. They are just divine and I could get lost in them for hours. I was lucky enough to buy a small painted ceramic bowl from a studio sale a few years ago and I adore it. I couldn’t afford her works now though. I’m such a huge fan of hers, I have seen her several times but couldn’t get up the courage to say hello!
March is also the Power of Women Festival in Margate, so I will be hosting a solo exhibition by Margaret Calvert OBE. She designed all the road signs we use in the UK back in the 1950s, and has since designed the gov.uk font, the National Rail typography and several other huge national projects. I am so excited to be celebrating such an icon and bringing her incredibly important work to Margate.
I am also co-curating an exhibition in Liminal Gallery with Gemma Peppe, Director of Art on a Postcard, with artist Andrew Torr which will be opening in May. I also have some very exciting international events which I will be announcing soon. A big year for Liminal Gallery!
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Afraid so! I hate numbers, so it’s a minor miracle that I’d rely on them in an art interview but I have to in order to answer this question. The statistics just don’t lie. Though women earn at least half of the MFAs granted in the U.S., and 75% of the art degrees in Australia, they struggle to gain proportional representation. Only 13.7% of living artists represented by galleries in Europe and North America are women. And it’s not just bad for artists. The top three museums in the world, the British Museum (est. 1753), the Louvre (est. 1793), and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (est. 1870) have never had female directors. So, yes. It’s harder for women to be successful.
When I was in graduate school at the University of Washington I interned for Bill and Ruth True, collectors based in Seattle. They had an incredible Director Eric Fredericksen running their ten year art space Western Bridge. Eric took me under his wing and they then introduced me to James Harris - who brought me on as his assistant. They also put me up for a job running Seattle University’s art space. I owe my career to those four people; Bill, Ruth, Eric, and Jim.
That’s like choosing a favourite child. Obviously we all have a favourite in any given moment, but it’s not nice to say now is it? But if you were going to make me pick, I’d say that Harriet Pattinson, Bindi Vora and Blaire Hawes give me all the tingly feels. Their aesthetics are so fresh and singular. I think they will carve exciting spaces for themselves in the history of art.
If I was being honest, I’d buy two. I dream of owning a Jane Hammonds collage to hang across from a Matthew Day Jackson still life. One day.
John Pawson and I are collaborating on our second exhibition. This sees us launch his debut solo exhibition in Japan at The Mass, Tokyo. After that Bindi Vora, who features in my auction, has a book coming up on her series Mountain of Salt and we are planning an exhibition around the launch in May.
]]>For our fourth annual Art on a Postcard International Women's Day Auction we are excited to have a brand new format - seven female curators have curated seven mini auctions of all female artists, which will run concurrently from 23rd February to 9th March. We will be introducing each of the curators on our blog, starting with Mollie Barnes, an independent curator and Residency Coordinator, founder of @she_curates_
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I think - sadly - it is hard to argue otherwise with recent (and not so recent!) findings. For example those exploring the huge pay gaps between male and female artists.
Forbes published an article last year highlighting the ‘$192 Billion Gender Gap in Art’, demonstrating gaps between highest prices paid for works ($450 million for Leonoardo Da Vinci, and $44.4 million for Georgia O’Keefe), ($901 million for Jeff Koons and $12.4 million for Jenny Saville.)
Dr Gorrill’s recent research explored how art ‘done by a man’ is worth 10 times as much as a woman. “…worse than that - if a woman's name is on the canvas, the price decreases even further.” This meant that “for every £1 a male artist earns for his work, a woman earns a mere 10p.”
As well as monetary statistics, it is often we hear stories of female artists experiencing ‘mid-career stagnation’, issues of how the art world (in general) does not take into account the needs of artist parents, how 51% of visual artists are women, though 78% of UK galleries represent more men than women, that Freelands Foundation reported women and non-binary artists accounted for only 32% of Tate’s acquired works, and none of the works acquired by the National Gallery in 2021.
I think it is harder, but there have also been some amazing initiatives, with even more to come. It’s an exciting, and I think, hopeful, time.
I wouldn’t have done anything without support of incredible people. I am eternally grateful to the amazing people who have been so generous with their time, support, mentorship and work to help me continue doing this job that I love. I’m very lucky to be around so many wonderful people.
AOAP has an incredible reputation for supporting and spotting incredible talent!
This is a difficult question – they are all such incredible talents. Two artists I have worked with for a long time, and are going from strength to strength, are Ofunne Azinge and Precious Opara. What amazing artists.
I’ve recently been really, really excited by photography. If I could buy any artwork, I think I would acquire a work from icon Catherine Opie, or Claude Cahun.
I’m lucky to be working with a number of incredible artists this year on a series of exhibitions.
Projects I’m excited to experience as a visitor are visiting Zanele Muholi’s exhibition, Sonia Boyce’s solo in Margate, Annis Harrison at Quench and Catherine Murphy at Sadie Coles.
]]>For the first time, postcard sized prints of Ben Eine's newest Circus font will be available via Art on a Postcard! The first 25 of each letter will be hand-signed.
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For the first time, postcard sized prints of Ben Eine's newest Circus font will be available via Art on a Postcard! The first 25 of each letter will be hand-signed.
]]>Read our exclusive interview with Patric Hughes, a long-time AOAP support. Patrick has submitted a card for our annual Winter Auction. Patrick discusses his artistic inspirations, his upcoming shows, and shares a tidbit about the card he submitted.
]]>My first solo show was when I was twenty-one, sixty-two years ago, in Mayfair. Then I was living in Leeds and working at Leeds College of Art, since then I have lived in London, St Ives, New York and now London, where I have been in my Shoreditch studio for twenty-seven years.
I am inspired by Paul Klee and Rene Magritte, Klee for his ability to lay in composition, Magritte for his poetry and philosophy.
I am pleased to be having an exhibition in New York, November to January. The exhibition will be at Adelson Galleries - find out more information here.
I first tried to depict fear itself in the 1970s. We are own worst enemies. There is nothing to be frightened about, be not frightened of thine own shadow.
Bid on Patrick's lot in the auction: Lot 359, 'Shadowed'
We recorded a podcast episode with Patrick for our 'Art in the time of Quarantine' series - listen to the full episode here on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Soundcloud.
]]>Learn more about British art icon Grayson Perry - Grayson has donated four artworks in our annual Winter Auction. Bidding starts at £50 and is open until the 15th November.
Read our exclusive interview with Diego Palacios, a regular AOAP contributor. Diego has submitted a card for our upcoming 2022 Winter Auction. Diego discusses how he became an artist and what inspires him.
]]>I started being interested in drawing and painting rather early, with 8 years old in ground school, along with a couple of friends who would also like to draw, we would draw our classmates, among other things.
Bit by bit I realised I had to face my creative nature, which had always been there. Life is one, only. So I got determined after going to a Jordaens exhibition that I would make a painting in the old master's way. After many months it was finally finished which led to a first commissioned painting. Then, I told my wife I was ready to go all in. This was around 10 years ago and since I have been happily painting full time. She supported me and still does.
Most of my painting ideas come like uninvited guests into my mind. Some of them have a strong force about themselves, compelling me to paint them. Some other times I am less inspired, and I start making lists of things which could make a good painting, I go back to them for some days trying to figure out which ones to paint. And of course, sometimes I start looking at other painters' work for inspiration, I have to admit.
There are a couple of shows in which I am taking part here in Germany in 2022 and 2023, as well as a nice exhibiting opportunity in Denmark. There are also some plans to exhibit in Latin America.
The inspiration behind this card is simply everyday life. It shows a young boy writing, concentrated. These are the times in which we are fully present and conscious. The times in which anxiety disappears.
Everyday life is looked down upon sometimes as a subject, disregarded when compared to more highly charged ones. I believe everyday life is an intimate and human subject, with inherent deepness we should explore, analyse and unravel. In which most of our life happens.
The traits aren’t completely defined, suggesting the ephemeral, transient nature of experiences and the passing of time.
]]>I was born and raised in Rochdale, Lancashire. I moved to London in my early thirties. I studied History of Art in Manchester but I am largely self taught. Since a young girl, drawing in particular was my main love and probably my one and only interest in my school days. At the time, growing up I couldn’t quite see how I could earn a living creating and forged a more corporate career based in Soho. I was largely unhappy so in my late thirties, I decided to put 100% into painting. I now work from my studio in Greenwich surrounded by chaos but I love it.
I am inspired by so many things. My seascapes are inspired by Aldeburgh and Southwold (in Winter) in particular. I also love to stay true to my roots and love painting the old Cotton Mills in and around the North West including the bleak moorland. More recently I have enjoyed painting floral and figurative works. I’m a little bit obsessed with Wild Flowers. My brother who passed away as a little boy used to pick them for my mum.
Of course I always look forward to Art on a Postcard. I’ve had work accepted for the NEAC, the RBA, the ING, The Pastel Society and currently have paintings at several fabulous galleries mainly UK based. I was also made associate member of Manchester Academy of Fine Art quite recently so that meant a lot being in a Northern Society.
The Cards I submitted this year were a change from previous land and sea inspired works. I decided to coincide flowers and figure. I hope they do well for AOAP!
Lots 397-399. Rachel Arif. 'Himalayan Poppies', 'An Olive Branch' & 'The Florist's Table'. Oil on Paper.
Learn more about Tosin, a self-taught visual artist from Abuja, Nigeria.
Lots 446-447. Tosin Kalejaye, Ifesowapo I & II.
Listen to the words that inspired Nilima's four small postcards - a song from the Bonda tribal community of the eastern part of India.
Lots 453-456. Nilima Sheikh, 'Where Did They Hide You?', 'At The Root of Which Tree?', 'In Which Sky', & 'Under Which Earth?'
Learn more about Martin Wilner, an artist and psychiatrist living and working in New York. His lot is based on his studies of subway passengers.
Lot 381. Martin Wilner - Journal of Evidence Weekly Vol 187
Danny Fox is an internationally renowned British artist with numerous solo exhibitions under his belt - watch our short 'meet the artist' video to find out more!
Annette (@fernandoannette) describes the inspiration behind her four works in our auction, each depicting a different part of adolescence, as bodies and outlooks change. Annette has donated four lots to our current International Women's Day Auction - bidding is open until 15th March!
Annette has donated 'It's Changed From Something Comfortable to Something Else Instead I, It's Changed From Something Comfortable to Something Else Instead II, It's Changed From Something Comfortable to Something Else Instead III & It's Changed From Something Comfortable to Something Else Instead IV' as part of our International Women's Day Auction. Bidding is open now until 15th March.
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Meet Katherine Bernhardt (@kbernhardt2014). Through her index of images, from childhood sticker books to a ketchup bottle seen during travel, Bernhardt chronicles her life and the broader culture, synthesizing her visual material with hard-won ease. Her influences span from Henri Matisse and the Pattern and Decoration movement to Peter Doig and Chris Ofili. She is an artists’ artist, admired by many contemporary peers working today as a singular voice in painting.
Katherine has donated Lot 390 ‘Pikachu V Max’ as part of our International Women's Day Auction. Bidding is open now until the 15th March.
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Mandy Franca (@mandy__franca) describes her multi-disciplinary approach to art - Mandy has donated three lots to our current International Women's Day Auction - bidding is open until 15th March!
Mandy has donated ‘Dusk I, Dusk II, Dusk III’ to be part of our as our International Women's Day Auction 2022. Bidding is now open until 15th March and starts at £50.
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