Liminal Gallery Podcast host, Louise Fitzjohn, speaks with contemporary artist Louise Frances Smith, to coincide with her solo exhibition ' ‘It gathered here’ in The Cupboard at Liminal Gallery in Margate. The exhibition presents a series of site specific sculptures, playing with scale, the organic, body-like forms appear to be engulfing the small space, growing, crawling and spreading around the walls - posing the question of what the repercussions of human intervention is on our fragile coastal ecosystems, hiding behind the door of The Cupboard.

The sculptures in ‘It gathered here’ are created from seaweed collected by the artist from Margate beaches - specifically wireweed seaweed (Sargassum Muticum) which was thought to have been introduced to the coastline in the 1970s to bolster the failing ‘native’ oyster industry. The ‘invasive’ and ‘non-native’ species is now thriving due to climate change and can smother light and oxygen from species that live beneath the surface of the water. Smith has used this abundant wireweed seaweed to create a bioplastic, mixed with fabric and found plastic for an experimental material to create the works. The inspiration for the sculptural forms comes from epibiosis, which is the close interaction between two different organisms, the host organism providing an environment for the other which is attached to its living surface.

The Cupboard is Liminal Gallery’s second exhibition space, tiny but sleek it is exclusively available to artists living and working in Thanet. Smith will use this space to showcase a new body of work, employing natural local resources to comment on the fragility of Kent’s coastlines and the anthropogenic impact it is enduring.

Louise Frances Smith lives and works in Ramsgate, Kent. Her practice spans sculpture, installation and works on paper. Working with an array of materials including clay, seaweed and bioplastic, Smith creates highly textured surfaces to bring attention to the patterns and textures created by nature, magnifying micro details alongside man-made interventions. By collecting materials from her local coastline to use as materials in her work, Smith’s works are conceptually and physically linked to her local landscape where she takes her inspiration.

Last year Smith was selected as a finalist for The Ingram Prize 2023, exhibiting at Pavilion Gallery, Cromwell Place. Early in 2023 she received an Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant to create a new body of work which was exhibited at Collect Open 2023, Somerset House. Smith later exhibited this work at The Margate School.

In 2022 Smith received DYCP Arts Council England funding which led to her first solo show at Joseph Wales Gallery ‘HOLDFAST, experiments in seaweed, chalk & clay’. Other recent group exhibitions include - ‘The Wild Collective’, collaborative exhibition between Thrown Contemporary & Metafleur at Omved Gardens, London; ‘Despatch’, Work Show Grow Mail Art Collaboration, New Forest Heritage Centre, and ‘ING Discerning Eye 2021’, Mall Galleries, London. Louise Frances Smith graduated from CityLit with a Ceramics Diploma in 2019 and from Kingston University with a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree in 2009.

Visit the Online Viewing Room here:

https://www.liminal-gallery.com/louise-frances-smith-it-gathered-here

Contact us for all questions and enquiries: info@liminal-gallery.com

Follow us on Instagram: @liminal_gallery

With original music by Lorenzo Bonari.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liminal Gallery Podcast host, Louise Fitzjohn, speaks with internationally renowned contemporary artist Laura Ford, to coincide with her solo exhibition ' ‘Little Lords’ in Liminal Gallery's Main Space in Margate. The exhibition showcases a collection of sculptural and wall-based works which explore the boundaries between desire and imposition, inviting viewers into the realm of play and imagination.

Laura Ford's 'Little Lords' sculptures take centre stage, portraying three boy-like figures adorned in vibrant, parrot-inspired costumes. The figures exude a conspiratorial charisma, commanding attention with their playful yet enigmatic presence. While mimicking the stances of superheroes, their concealed identities add an air of tension, prompting viewers to ponder the question: who are they?

Ford's multifarious practice combines playful craftsmanship with acute social commentary. ‘Little Lords’ provides an immersive experience, where visitors can engage with the sculptures' intricate details and delve into the artist's exploration of identity, fantasy, and the human condition.

Ford's significant contributions to the art world are reflected in her inclusion in prestigious public collections, including Tate, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Government Art Collection. Laura Ford has represented Wales in the Venice Biennale and has exhibited in solo and group shows around the world.

Visit the Online Viewing Room here:

https://www.liminal-gallery.com/laura-ford-little-lords

Contact us for all questions and enquiries: info@liminal-gallery.com

Follow us on Instagram: @liminal_gallery

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liminal Gallery Podcast host, Louise Fitzjohn, speaks with contemporary artist Maud Whatley to coincide with her first solo exhibition 'Haunches' in our Main Space at Liminal Gallery in Margate. The exhibition showcases Whatley's coloured pencil drawings which layer images sourced from art-historical paintings, online archives, personal photographs, and Google image results. Her work explores the politics of observation, the eroticism born from juxtaposing disparate ideas, and the alluring, unconventional nature of repetitive drawing techniques.

In ‘Haunches’ Whatley looks at the intricate relationship between human perception and the dissection of animal bodies, drawing inspiration from historical events such as the untimely demise of champion racehorse Phar Lap in 1932. The pictures explore symbolic and literal acts of dissecting, separating, and categorising; paralleling the way that Phar Lap's body parts were archived across various museums. Through evocative storytelling, Whatley connects these narratives to the way we compartmentalise and box up the aspects of ourselves and our experiences which we consider too gross, too animalistic, or too much.

Experimenting with diverse references, including the Sumerian poem ‘Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven’ and the insights of philosopher Slavoj Žižek, Whatley presents ideas about the interplay between our curated public personas and the leaking truths that linger beneath the surface. Weaving themes of erotic potential, mythic allure and the interconnectedness of all things through her drawings, her works present a gentle case for revelling in the complex strangeness of the human experience.

Visit the Online Viewing Room here:

https://www.liminal-gallery.com/maud-whatley-haunches

Contact us for all questions and enquiries: info@liminal-gallery.com

Follow us on Instagram: @liminal_gallery

With original music by Lorenzo Bonari.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.