Creativity isn’t a blessing for just some of us - it’s something we are born with. Each and every one of us uses creativity in daily life; some of us just falsely think we are not creative at all.
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Based within the creative hub of Bristol at Jamaica Street Studios, Annie Clay’s work finds beauty in the everyday as her captivating landscapes demonstrate the beauty of Bristol and its surroundings. Her style is both unique and distinctive with the time and precision in each piece so evident within her work. There is something about Annie’s work that seems to trigger a sense of familiarity with a place and it was great to sit down and have a chat with Annie about all things inspiration and how working as an artist in Bristol influences her work.
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Who dares to feel hope nowadays? In an era defined by climate disaster, Covid 19, and the rise and subsequent normalisation of right-wing politics, hope can be hard to find. Recently, it feels like the triumph of capitalism over community is nearing completion, the earth’s ecosystem is imploding at an alarming speed and the dystopian future we’ve all been warned about has arrived.
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An evening at one of Bristol’s newest venues, The Mount Without, is something to look forward to. The space in this big old church is fantastic and its versatility really shone for this event as it hosted a staged performance by Tom Marshman and a broader floor space for the dance pieces from Cree Barnett Williams and Yos Clark. The Crypt provided drinks and DJ’s Mister Morgan and Jim Carna gave us some pop joy; the perfect end to a magical night.
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Jess Knights’ illustrations are certainly ones that you’ll recognise if you’re into your food and drink around Bristol. Her passion for food and drink really shines through within her work as her unique images are rich in texture and life, making what could be considered mundane into art.
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Jazz Thompson’s work is so integral to the city of Bristol as her captivating illustrations tell stories of individual experiences and community. Her murals have been placed all over the city from the M Shed, to The Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, speaking of individual experience and displaying a wealth of characters.
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Art is an immortal representation of our culture, identity, and personal histories. The gradual censorship of artistic expression in Russia has been presented as more than censorship, but a simple disregard for what art is. Putin would have you believe that art is simply an additional extra, a visual option that does not express anything deeply political or particularly relevant.
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Yes, so in the book I created, and in the exhibition text in the handout, at the beginning I wrote “I invite you to view the shape of each woman's body, and then read her story and hear her voice connect her form to all that it carries and holds and think of its future, and all that it deserves.” I think that is the thing that unites them; every body has a story. And everybody deserves so much. And every story deserves to be heard.
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Giving that message to children, especially young black kids... that's my favourite thing in the world. That's what I want to do. I think a lot of it is because I never had any of this growing up. I didn't really have like any black role models and I just wasn’t exposed to them. I guess I just want to do everything I can for black people; everything I do is because of black people, my ancestors.
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In this review roundup Lucy Pratt heads down to the Arnolfini to see their latest offering and Arts Editor George Trueman stumbles on a exhibition in the heart of Southville
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Living in Stokes Croft, I just ended up being aware of Beth’s work. You pop into Jamaica Street Stores and you see her work, you go to the little shop at the bottom of the hill to end all hills, Nine Tree Hill, and you see more of her work; you pop into the Canteen for a pint and you see posters for the Life Drawing Classes she runs - you just get this sense that she has this momentum behind her; this sense of an artist being woven and fused into a city. That’s always how I saw Beth.
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It’s time for our February Arts Review Roundup - kicking off with satirist Armando Ianucci in conversation at the 2022 Slapstick Festival, then Jonathan Buchanan shows us a new take on an old master - Van Gogh. Self Portraits at London’s Courtald Gallery.
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I’ve always been infatuated with the way jewellery can transport us back to a time and place or remind us of someone. I have such vivid memories of rummaging through my mum’s jewellery box as a child and being so fascinated with the stories behind each piece. I really believe jewellery has a story to be told and can carry an energy or hold a feeling. This Story implies the beginning of a tale. That’s how I feel when I send out my treasures to their new homes.
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Conceived to celebrate contemporary – and sometimes controversial – artists working with the same visionary spirit as painter JMW Turner, the Turner Prize has long bestowed us with sensationalist, headline clinching artworks. A number of its alumni are now household names: Tracey Emin, Steve McQueen and Anthony Gormley, for example. To question its relevance may feel somewhat unwarranted given the aforementioned, but I’d argue it’s a more complex matter.
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Ebony enchantress and the reigning Queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Symone, graced us with a drag show like no other last Thursday night. Why was the show like no other? Well, because it was an all-black cast.
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Mary Magdalene is mentioned around fourteen times in the canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and is arguably one of the most important women in the Bible. Whether you believe in Christian doctrine or not, the treatment of Mary Magdalene throughout Church history is a fascinating (and very revealing) lens to investigate gender and power. To explore the afterlife of Mary Magdalene is to dip into the murky theological and theoretical foundations of Christianity, and to consider why the men who decided on Christian canon wanted women to behave.
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In the windswept town of Dudley, you might want to head to the warmth of the Full Moon on the High Street, or perhaps stop off for some food at the cafes. But there’s a light on at CoLab Dudley.
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How has the apocalypse been represented in the arts throughout history, and what does culture tell us about the current state of our fears?
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Bristol youth worker Delroy HIbbert tells us about how lock down, the response by the media to the Black Lives Matter movement and a chance street encounter with one of the young people he used to support led to him founding the youth-led media project Freestyle Bristol.
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I’d always wanted to go to an improv show so when I heard about Screwball: An Improvised Misadventure at the Bristol Improv Theatre…well, colour me intrigued.
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