Lock Down Exhibition
‘Home’
During these strange and troubling times, the idea of having people crowd into an exhibition space is impossible. So, along with many others, we shall be hosting an exhibition online.
‘At the start of the lock down, I turned to a number of artists and requested they try to respond to the idea of what ‘Home’ meant to them.’
This was an idea that I wanted to explore before coronavirus was on anyone’s lips. With people stuck inside and faced with long periods of time to contemplate their own thoughts, the idea of home changed entirely. For some, Home is a person or people, while for others it is a more material concept. A home is something many of us are lucky enough to have, but it seems that no two people have the same experience of home.
For me, growing up around the world between military postings, the idea of home was somewhat abstract, and still has never been one particular place. It is this feeling which prompted me to investigate how others may see their own. So, please scroll through and contemplate how you see home and what it means for you; you never know what might crop up.
Each artist has submitted images of their works, along with a brief statement explaining how these works of art relate to their idea of home.
The ‘Rooms’ have been split into the countries each artist grew up in, offering a geographical divide that enables a more cultural understanding. Enjoy.
‘Room One’. Scotland
Charles Fletcher.
Dr Charles Fletcher responds to his native surroundings and the rich history this encapsulates.
‘All of these paintings consider former homes which have been the casualties of depopulation in the Highlands of Scotland over the past century.
Whilst these buildings are no longer inhabited, the interviews that I have conducted with former inhabitants show that they still clearly regard the buildings as their homes, despite the fact that many were abandoned 60-70 years ago.
In addition, the visual legacy of depopulation is an integral part of the landscape which I consider to be my own home; it is something that I have grown up around and something which holds deep significance for me personally.’
Michael Kay Terence
Another artist hailing from Scotland is, Michael Kay Terence. His artistic output knows no bounds and his previous works tend to have a humorous yet deeper meaning behind them.
This drawing is of an idea that Michael is currently working on.
‘Home for me involves so much travel and effort to get to, from my parents house in the highlands to my own house outside of Edinburgh.’
Room Two. Australia
Aidan Stephen
Aidan Stephen, in his signature 70 mm style responds to his idea of home which encapsulates his upbringing in Australia, being around horses and the vast emptiness of the outback.
‘The sunset has a rider leading his horse home just before dark. While the eucalyptus tree is iconic of Australia and the road home is to the place of my youth.’
Room Three. England
Felicity Beaumont
Felicity Beaumont’s works are characteristically vibrant, although this selection strays away from her usual style and takes a more painterly approach.
Felicity Beaumont, Self Portrait II, 100 x 120 cm, Acrylic and Pastel on Canvas, 2020
Felicity Beaumont, Self Portrait IV, 100 x 120 cm, Acrylic and Pastel on Canvas, 2020
‘I have been considering the notion in relation to self-portraiture and the home we all have inside our own bodies.
These works are quite different to my usual style, and I think that reflects my personal relationship to them. Rather than my usual process which focuses on the presentation of the subject, I felt myself more connected with the physical process of painting in these works; using the pigment as a trace of my own body.’
Read a piece of Felicity’s writing about retreating inwards at https://www.felicitybeaumont.com/blog/2020/4/29/retreating-inward-self-portraiture-and-self-reflection
Room Four. Indonesia
Vira Ratman
Vira has often referenced her homeland in art, the rich and vibrant culture is frequently juxtaposed with her experience living in Scotland.
Catch Me a Sunset 2:
One out of a series of two paintings, this was one of the first painting studies made when I wanted to combine my two recent homes: Indonesia and Scotland. The title was something a tutor once said to me, and how we seek to en-capture horizons or sunsets as memorabilia of places we find solace in. In a way, it becomes a metaphor for how we constantly look for stability in something intangible, like a ‘home’ as a third-culture kid.
Dahulu:
This painting depicts the scene of a traditional Javanese wedding custom where the groom washes the feet of the bride as a symbolic gesture of devotion and humility. This piece was a point in my exploration of cultural assimilation and femininity, showcasing the tensions that could arise between the two.
Landscape Charcoal Study:
Made for a painting class, this landscape depicts a Papuan coast. The study of landscapes forces you to pay attention to the tonal differences in the elements within the image.
Haze:
This was the first abstract work I ever made. It was conceptualised around the idea of ‘The Ring of Fire’ as a metaphor for Indonesia’s geographical location and landscape, dotted with active volcanoes and enmeshed between several tectonic plates.
To the Role Model I Can Never Repay:
To my mother and all mothers: to the homes and shelters they build for us in ways that are immeasurable.
Cut The Landscape Please:
This was inspired by Jules de Balincourt’s collage-like landscape paintings. Exploring the idea of cultural assimilation and American pop culture, he constructs landscapes into a world devoid of time, which was something I wanted to do here. Through this landscape ‘collage’ and along the same lines as ‘Catch a Sunset For Me’, I intended to create a landscape existing outside of time, portraying the idea of memories as pictorial images and a metaphorical souvenir. The concept of ‘home’ was always warped for me personally, and so I wanted to allude to a time and place that had pictorial symbols of what that looked like together.
Mountainscape Indo:
A view from atop Bromo, an active volcano in Indonesia. I wanted to highlight the barren landscape and its nooks and crevices from a high perspective. From the top of the mountain, sitting by a large sulphur pit, this perspective is dissociative from its subjects, like how detached the notion of ‘home’ becomes within the process of cultural assimilation.
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Getting in touch
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