Slow Painting
A dual-sited exhibition at Studio KIND. and The Plough Arts Centre
by Contemporary British Painting members and guests
Saturday 13th July – Saturday 17th August 2024
Private view: Friday 12th July 6-8pm
Open: Wednesdays to Saturdays, 12-5pm
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In the 2019 book ‘Slow Painting’, Helen Westgeest considers the role of painting in a world fuelled by the digital, technological advancement, and information overload. Members of the renowned Contemporary British Painting group have been invited to respond to the following text, and The Plough Arts Centre and Studio KIND. have invited local artists to contribute, exploring why painting is as important as ever.
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‘The fleeting nature of digital mass media appears to have unlocked a desire for more physically stable and enduring pictures, like paintings. Slow Painting charts how, in a world where the constant quest for speed can leave us exhausted, the appeal of this ‘slower medium’ has only grown ...
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Our culture today is marked by the ever-growing presence of images, and because their rate of circulation also keeps going up, we are increasingly discouraged from engaging in critical reflection on the individual image. By contrast, the world of painting represents a long tradition of works of art that stimulate contemplation on strategies in visual communication .....
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Although quite a few art critics expected painting to disappear in the digital age—much in the same way as anticipated after the invention of photography—current developments in photography, video, and new media art indicate a revived interest in visual strategies developed in painting. Moreover, the fleeting images of digital mass media seem to have fostered a longing for physical and more stable pictures, such as paintings. And for the last several years, during which “ever faster” became harder to attain, we have been witnessing a growing interest in “slowness” of different kinds (e.g., slow food), as well as a desire for more reflection on all sorts of stimuli in our increasingly digital daily environment.’
Helen Westgeest, Slow Painting.
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We will also be celebrating the life and work of Judith Tucker, the previous chair of CBP, who was instrumental in the organisation of the exhibition before her untimely death in 2023. In her work, Judith brought together personal memory, social history and geography through painting, drawing and writing.
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The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of events in collaboration with Barnstaple Museum, who will be showing ‘Turner in Barnstaple’ throughout summer.
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Exhibiting artists:
Susan Absolon, David Ainley, Iain Andrews, Amanda Ansell, Karl Bielik, Claudia Böse, Day Bowman, Lesley Bunch, Robbie Bushe, Ruth Calland, Simon Carter, Jules Clarke, Graham Crowley, Gordon Dalton, Lisa Denyer, Sam Douglas, Natalie Dowse, Nathan Eastwood, Geraint Evans, Susan Gunn, Kirsty Harris, Roland Hicks, Marguerite Horner, Barbara Howey, Phil Illingworth, Bryan Lavelle, Andrew Litten, Paula MacArthur, David Manley, Enzo Marra, Gavin Maughfling, Ruth Murray, Stephen Palmer, Mandy Payne, Ruth Philo, Katie Pratt, Narbi Price, Freya Purdue, Katherine Russell, Harvey Taylor, Sally Taylor, Molly Thomson, Ehryn Torrell, Marius von Brasch, Joanna Whittle, Sean Williams
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