Sunday 21 August 2011

Sample it, Loop it, Fuck it, Delete it

Sample It, Loop It, Fuck It, Delete It This inaugural one night showcase introduces an exciting new artist run studio and exhibition space to Birmingham. Conceived by Sonya Russell-Saunders (curator) and Chris Clinton (artist), 'The Wig' will operate as an engaging open plan art space consisting of four resident artists and a curator.
In transforming a former gentleman's club into artist's studios our approach to exhibition making will be informed by the work we make, with a group involvement in art production exploring the process of exhibition making in an unconventional space.
'Sample it, Loop it, Fuck it, Delete it' invites three guest artists, Michael Bold, Emma Little and Jeanette Deen to join with Chris and Sonya in an exploration of the space and its recent history, making work in response to the artefacts and props that were inherited with the space.
Michael Bold's practice is driven by our existence in the everyday and is focused on experimenting with minimal materials or quotidian situations to reveal in them new qualities. Bold’s work aims to amplify the incidental or the overlooked, presenting his observations in a way that transforms them into an intimate spectacle for the viewer.
Emma Little uses materials to create objects (sculptures) that both represent and activate architectural space. Using the word in its loosest sense 'Architecture' may refer to a home, a boat an item of clothing or a cage. The relationship between the form of architecture and themes such as gender and social class, have been explored through sculptural inquiries to create singular objects, installations, photography and short film. 'Pole Friction' is a work made for 'The Wig' that borrows from a world of Poles, Posts, Shafts, Rods, Sticks and Dowels...
Chris Clinton revives aspects of the clean lines and positivist constructions of Modernist Abstraction and builds on art historical precedents of Post Minimal practice. Through the use of generally found material and simple gestures inscribed by the everyday, a playful 'let’s-see-if-this works' approach incorporates elements of intuition and contingency, creating tensions between the unexpected coincidence and planned gesture.
Jeanette Deen’s work focuses on the issues and the realities of sex industry workers, their experiences, attitudes and the opinions of customers. Curious about the sudden increase in pole dancing/stripping, she gained access to this hidden world obtaining frank interviews with sex workers and customers. Her work directly links this new art space with its unusual past, using what was left behind - the pole, the catwalk, the mannequins, take a peek behind the curtain...
CC/SRS August 2011





























All photos taken by Michael Bold