Desperate Artwives exhibition at the Crypt Gallery ♥

I haven't had much time for blogging during these past couple of weeks. The reason being is I was offered the opportunity to take my Desperate Artwives project to the Crypt Gallery in Euston for a two weeks exhibition. We guested alongside some amazing Italian artists who were showing in the main exhibition called 'Vanity Unfair'- you can read all about Art Cafe London and "Vanity Unfair" here

Left, a shot of the exhibition and right, the opening night in full swing

The Crypt of St.Pancras Parish Church is a unique venue originally designed and used for coffin burials between 1822 and 1854. Crypt burial was seen as a slightly better alternative to the overcrowded burial grounds but not everybody could afford it. Today the Crypt is still the final resting place of 557 people.

The Crypt was also used in both World Wars as an air raid shelter. 

Having seen the Crypt adorned with all the beautiful artwork, lights, hearing the reverberation of laughter, the wine flowing and the dressed tables full of delicious canapés it's difficult to imagine it during those dark nights filled with worry and fear. The Crypt is also extremely cold and humid which makes me conscious of the difficulties people faced.

I read on the Crypt's website that a woman called Gladys Green ran a canteen down there in the evenings and nights during the London  blitz. Gladys' daughter Georgina was about 8 at the time and she explains how she had to sleep overnight there; "in one of the alcoves which were fitted out with bunk beds". I wonder if the alcove she is talking about was the one I have allocated for one my artists, Slavka Jovanovic? 

Left, the Crypt Gallery from the outside. Right, Slavka Jovanovic's video work inside one of the alcoves.

Our room, located at the end of the main corridor was big enough for me to accomodate 7 artists, including myself. 

I always find curating just as exciting and interesting as being an artist. I like researching the artists and talking to them. I'm interested in their artwork and I enjoy putting it all together and making it work.

Curating might be fun but it's also really hard work. At the Crypt I was extremely fortunate to have such an atmospheric setting but even more so to have such an astounding quality of artwork!

Please see below for all the participating artists and their incredible contributions!

Nina Ciuffini

"Untitled" Oil, gloss on linen, Nina Ciuffini 2012 ©

Through painting Nina CIuffini expresses language, temporary images and the body through the exploration of marks as a material product of a painterly performative act. Her aim is to turn everything into a minimal documentation with a simple gesture as a sense of meditation, properly understood as an inter-position and an inter-vetion.

Tracey Kershaw

"Tell me about your mother" Mixed media installation, Tracey Kershaw 2013 ©

Tracey's work explores the maternal. She is interested in the familiarity of the everyday, examined from the perspective of her relationship with her son. This installation, 'Tell me about your mother' considers the reverse relationship- from the perspective of the child as adult. Tracey invites people to sit in the purple armchair and to think about their mother.

Esther Geis

"Alice in Yogaland" Digital prints and ink on paper, Esther Geis 2014 ©

These images are part of a series called 'Alice in Yogaland'. They are meant to take the viewer down the rabbit hole into the experience of Yoga. Esther used the illustrations by John Tenniel and the story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol as inspiration and gave it a completely new spin by putting them into the yogic context.

Mercedes Ferrari

"La mujerzuela"(The floozy) Lampshade sculpture, Mercedes Ferrari 2013 ©

With a wry humour, raw energy and visual puns, Mercedes aims to confront and engage. Her work explores challenging issues, such as violence, gender, sex, maternity and domesticity through mixed-media sculpture, drawing and performance. It is suggestive and provocative, with cartoon-like arrangements that often have high sexual content and a strong emotional narrative.

Sharon Reeves

"Voyeur series" Etching, Sharon Reeves 2014 ©

Sharon's work explores feminine identity and erotic empowerment, challenging and questioning the expectations placed on women by Western society. It looks at the emotional dilemma of marking art as a Woman, a Mother, a Wife. Inspiration comes from themes of suppression, inhibition, emotional resistance and freedom of expression of femininity, sexuality and self.

Slavka Jovanovic

Stills from the video animation "Her story", Slavka Jovanovic 2011 ©

Slavka's video is a journey of self-discovery told in animated picture-book style. The viewer is invited to sit back, relax and listen to the little girl's tale who will transport the audience deep into the bowels of a big old house. 

Amy Dignam (me!)

"Peas in a bucket" Video performance,"Wrinkles" Silk impression, Amy Dignam 2014 ©

If you have been following my blog you probably already know a little bit about the nature of my work. It revolves around my everyday life. Repetitive actions like picking up peas from the floor after my children's meal times become a performance that tests my physical and psychological strengths. Memories play a big part in my work too. 'Wrinkles' is a scarf whose design was obtained by drawing the wrinkles around my mother's eyes as an attempt to keep her memory alive. 

Curating is always a wonderful experience that allows me to enter into the artists' world in a deep and meaningful way. However, in this particular show I curated the exhibition in such a way as to underline different facets of my present situation; presenting ideas through other people's work rather than illustrating them myself. Not many people, if anyone at all, would have read this ulterior message. Most of all, it feels wonderful to be doing what I love the most and opportunities such as this one really feed my aspirations and enthusiasm to carry on down this path, no matter how arduous it might be... 

Last but not least, I would like to thank Nadia Spita and her wonderful team for making the whole thing possible. They're not only beautiful and clever women but also really hard workers. Thank you!

                                  

                                Amy Dignam ©

Julie Swindel ♥

Julie Swindel is a mother of eight, yes you read that right EIGHT! When I started exchanging messages with Julie and found out, I thought that perhaps I had found the ultimate Desperate Artwife...

Julie tells me how she tries and keep her eye focused on art during her hectic lifestyle. Having attempted a few art courses she has never managed to finish them and therefore she considers herself largely self-taught. At forty she was able to have her own home studio (protected by a stair-gate!), allowing her to come and go from her work as and when. Julie says "I had my first daughter at 25, before that I had time and I wasted it, I had no perception of how precious life was. If you are desperate enough you learn to be flexible and adaptable. Every experience can be channelled into expression, frustration can become passion seen in a flurry of marks on the canvas or clay at the end of the day when the children are asleep. During day to day tasks a partition of my mind is always open to creativity. If circumstances are limiting I study the ordinary. Necessity has been the mother of my invention."

Julie's painting style takes me back in time to when I was studying art in Italy and experimenting with various subjects for my paintings. Her way of combining different situations in one painting makes the image become a narrative - almost like stills from a motion picture. Some of her work combines dream-like situations and reality, some others in - true Desperate Artwife style - relates to the everyday and private life. Death, memories, resignation, daydream, childhood... 

Dad

Her father's death motivated her to pick up the paint brush again, eager to try and hold his memory before it melted away from her.  Through this  experience, she discovered that art can be used as a form of therapy. Sometimes I think that artists are privileged because if it's hard to verbally express their thoughts and feelings then they are able to use their art instead. It is challenging but it helps in giving you a voice without you having to talk.

Fabrication

In "Fabrication", one can see a woman folding clothes from a washing basket while underneath a man is busy polishing and lining up shoes. Everyday home chores are surrounded by a background of a coastline and a cloudy sky. A flock of white doves are flying around, perhaps symbolising love and peace. Julie explains that this work is about how daydreaming  can help in life but how we also need to embrace the present moment. 

The other mother

I read  "The other mother" as another attempt of healing the soul. Julie painted this in reaction to having to accept the medical profession into her family after the birth of her disabled daughter. A narrow corridor,  green walls,  a blurred vision of a faceless doctor and nurse wearing white scrubs and walking towards you. They are surrounded by big red crosses that seem to shoot out of the painting. The painting is coming outwards, it's unstable and full of tension. Art is a tool that Julie constantly tries to exploit in order to better endure her life. 

Mausoleum of motherhood

"Mausoleum of motherhood"  was painted as a way to stop the swirling storm of images and emotions that were gathering as Julie dealt with the realities of motherhood against what one might think it ought to be (or how the media portrays it to be). 

Julie condenses her life experiences into her work and like a good book, it unfolds stories we all can connect to. And like a good book it remains with you long after you've finished looking at it. 

Amy Dignam 2014 ©

Monster Mum ♥

"Monster Mum" was inspired by a book I found in a charity shop a few years ago called "When Mum turned into a Monster". Only recently was I allowed to take it back out and read it again as my eldest daughter didn't like it. In fact she was quite scared of it for a long time.

"When Mum turned into a monster" is a story about the busy mother of two cheeky children who don't pay attention to what they do. They are ruthless and misbehaved. Every time they do something naughty their mother grows a part of a monster...first the ears, then the hands, then a tail until she turns completely green and explodes with rage!

This is such a familiar story. I can often feel my hands turning green or see a tail appearing behind my back... my children live with this half human-half monster creature who is trying to do its best - even when shouting. 

I often wonder what they see when I'm angry? How does my face look and what are their thoughts? I remember very clearly when my mum was mad at me... she'd be furious and I'd be scared. It made me sad and I felt lonely and misunderstood.

Whenever I become a monster I don't gloss over it and expect everyone to forget about it. I usually apologise and explain. I also tell them that even when I'm angry I love them dearly. So I guess that even when the monster mum appears I still have the nice mum attributes...or so I'd like to think... 

I hate being the monster mum and luckily for everyone...
...it doesn't happen very often.

Amy Dignam © 2014

Call for artists ♥

Early last week I was invited to take the Desperate Artwives project to an upcoming exhibition at the Crypt gallery in London this March. 

This is a great opportunity if you would like to show your work and be part of a dynamic and interesting group. 

Calls are open to London based artists whose work is created entirely at home in between looking after the kids and the housework. 

If you think you belong to this category please get in touch by emailing amyf.dignam@gmail.com and I will send more information!

Thank you

Amy ♥

Bad hair day ♥

Amy Dignam 2014 ©

Claire Deniau ♥

I met Claire back in 2001. A fellow St.Martins student, she struck a chord with me from the very beginning.

Her work was implausibly well presented; it already looked  so professional and accomplished. As far as I was concerned she was already a complete artist and I remember asking myself "What is she doing here?"... The work I most clearly remember was a big painting of two marigold gloved hands holding a sort of messy creme brule´.(Claire you might want to forgive me here if my description is not accurate but after 10 years and 3 children my memory is a bit blurred!) Claire painting skills are so on the money and her idea of combining so many different textures together in one painting was nothing short of genius.

In recent years Claire has become an acclaimed artist showing her work in some of the most prestigious galleries in London, Paris and New York.

The two paintings Claire sent me for this feature (see below), are both abstracts with bold words or statements superimposed on that demand you to action or reason. Is the writing connected to the painting beneath or are they two different bodies joined together to form one? Is the writing born before the painting or does the painting determine the writing?

I don’t know, but one thing is for sure, the words certainly dictated my behaviour when in front of them. I somehow started to feel curious when looking at the “Curious” painting, as if the artist was inviting me to find some important hidden detail. 

Same with “Stay where you are”. I followed the instructions and didn’t move. I stayed and stayed and stared. I felt like the paintings had a real voice and were helping me in my journey of their discovery. 

Some of the questions her paintings ask are issues that as a viewer I often find myself debating. For example "What do you see?" openly supports the essence of abstract paintings. But for once, it's not for us to ask but rather it's the painting to proffer the question. "What do you see?"... Often abstract paintings leave me undecided and overwhelmed but with Claire's paintings I feel less intimidated. The viewer truly find themselves engaging and a conversation begins.

When I met Claire 13 years ago she had two young children. However in spite of her busy life she still managed to achieve a BA(hons)and a Masters degree in fine art. And now, with all these experiences to draw upon, she's out there working as a professional artist.

Claire is an inspiration to me and existing proof that art can carry on whilst caring for children and that perhaps "the pram in the hall" doesn't really exist...

To read and see more of Claire's practice please follow this link:
http://www.clairedeniau.com

"Stay where you are"
Oil on linen, 130x162 cm, 2012 Claire Deniau ©

"Curiosity"
Oil on linen, 46x38 cm, 2012, Claire Deniau ©

Black hole ♥

I was very lucky with the birth of my three children. All went well and there were no complications. This allows me to look back at those moments with a sense of peacefulness. 

With the passing of time, our minds often tend to magnify our memories, sometimes turning them into more intense experiences covering them with a thin layer of romanticism. That's why I remember all about those first cuddles and not so much about the pain that preceded them. Somehow, in my memories, that steady and acute pain softens and becomes almost pleasurable.

Straight after giving birth, whilst everyone is still whirling around doing all the checks, I found myself being completely still. 

As a "Madonna in Maesta'"  I'm sitting in the birthing pool holding my baby for the first time. We're still connecting through the umbilical cord. I can feel it and it hurts a bit. Yes, it's uncomfortable but I don't mind. I stay still and I let everybody look after me.

In that instant I become a black hole, a void in which things falls into and vanish. My worries, my fears, my future... all disappear in the abyss I created and for once only that moment existed.

Amy Dignam 2014 ©

This article is also featured on http://www.eggwombheadmoon.com/black-hole/