Aspex gallery

On the 5th of November we visited a local art gallery, the Aspex. Annually they host The Platform Graduate Award, which is an exhibition showcasing 13 exciting graduates from across 6 university`s.

The Space

The space was smaller than I thought it was going to be and because of that felt slightly cramped when everyone was walking around. However, Katherine Smith (one of the artists in the exhibition) draped her textile-based pieces across the space she was given by hanging them from the ceiling. By doing this, it made her section of the exhibition more interesting to look at and made the space feel bigger, as it stood out in comparison to some of the others that were just placed on the floor or on the walls.

My favourite exhibition

I really liked the work of Jade Anthony and Sofia Popova. This is because I hadn’t seen someone combine illustration and architecture before. The use of bright colours by Sofia helped to compliment Jades detailed illustrations and her illustrations complimented the alternative nature of Sofia`s type of architecture. The use of stereotypical industrial materials, like bricks, adds an element grunge to the clean and meticulous nature of Jades illustrations. In addition to this, there was something almost homely about their exhibition, possibly because of the inclusion of objects like a plant or vase.

We could mess with stuff

Another interesting aspect of the exhibition is that some of the artists pieces were interactive. For example, Imogen Marooney’s work allowed participants to make objects using scrap paper and these objects, once made, can be remade by other participants or Rebecca Harte`s work called for participants to sit at a table while listening to a voice over, quoting her grandma. This basically made us, for the somewhat brief time some of us actually sat, part of these peoples works and its actually kinda cool (or at least I would like to think it is).