HEAVY DUTY PAPER

15 Aug-8 Oct 2020

Overview

Artists: Robin Broadley, Gavin Wade, Simon Chalmers, Matthew Cornford, Ruth Claxton, Tiz Creel, Leo Fitzmaurice, Russell Herron, VKhUTEMAS [Workshop], Matthew Houlding, Hilary Jack, Claire Tindale, Joanne Masding, Let’s Paint TV, John Robinson, Emily Speed, Jonathan Wright, Beverly Buchanan (© Estate of Beverly Buchanan, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London and Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York) Wayne Warren, Priscila Fernandes, Jeremy Hutchison, Yelena Popova, Armando Andreade Tudela (private collection) Born out of the abundance of cardboard accumulated from lockdown business, this exhibition takes the opportunity to reflect on seemingly mundane materials and that offer endless starting points. Materials like paper and cardboard, whilst sublunary are fundamental to many artistic practices, whether as a starting point for larger work or as a finished object in itself. The show is also partly inspired by a vintage photograph from the Vhekutemas workshop (Higher Artistic and Technical Workshops), depicting a model exploring mass and architecture made by an anonymous student. Founded in 1920 by the Russian government, Vhekutemas was an institution for technical training to prepare artists for industry as well as educators. Often considered as the Russian equivalent of the Bauhaus school, Vhekutemas revolutionised how artists were trained. The works included in the show explore model making as a practice and celebrate the act of making as an opportunity for learning. For this exhibition the Edgar Street address in Worcester has been transformed into a model of itself, recycling used packaging and shipping materials in order to rethink our relationship with the objects in relation to the space. The exhibition is available to view by personal tour and also accessible online where you can find a virtual walk through. The online space is also accompanied by a soundtrack of short audio recordings from some of the artists’ speaking about their foundation experiences of model making and basic design concepts. Dates and covid-19 policy to follow shortly