Talk Art podcast: Jennifer Gilbert
Russell Tovey and Robert Diament interviewed Jennifer Gilbert for their podcast, Talk Art. Gallerist, curator, champion
of outsider and self-taught artists and founder of the Jennifer Lauren Gallery, Jennifer's aim is to champion and exhibit international self-taught, disabled and overlooked artists who create works outside the mainstream art world and art history.
Russel Tovey, Jennifer Gilbert & Robert Diament, photo: @TalkArt Jennifer works closely with UK organisations, studios and communities supporting disabled artists, in order to promote new, unique artists and creators. She is passionate about being a voice and platform for under-represented artists, allowing their voices and talent to shine through.
Untitled (17), Shinichi Sawada, n.d. Ceramic, 20 x 21 x 20 cm (8 x 8 x 8 in), photo: Andrew Hood Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Acast or on Podbean.
INTUIT: Reopening Today INTUIT, Chicago, reopened to the public today after a 20-week period of closure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Thank you to friends, members and the community for the incredible support Intuit has received since closing on
March 15. Our staff team has been working hard to create exciting online programming and to get the museum ready for our guests to return," said Executive Director Debra Kerr. "We are looking forward to welcoming guests on-site and continuing to offer personalized experiences remotely for those who aren't ready to be back in person."
Inside the INTUIT gallery; photo: INTUIT "Intuit will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The museum reserves admission on Friday mornings 9 to 11 a.m. for guests who are in an increased risk group. Intuit will be closed Monday through Thursday. Advanced purchase of timed-entry tickets and face coverings are required to enter.
Work from Marcos Bontempo and Bill Traylor on display at the INTUIT gallery; photo: INTUIT "Throughout the month of August, Intuit will donate the proceeds from admissions to the Museum Workers Relief Fund, a mutual aid fund for museum workers in the United States who have been laid off, furloughed or otherwise severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds raised are
intended for museum workers in the most precarious financial situations and those disproportionally affected by layoffs and furloughs, such as Black, people of color and Native American museum workers."
Read about INTUIT's admissions safety precautions here; tickets are available to purchase via this link. Donate to the Museum Workers Relief Fund to help museum staff affected by the global pandemic.
Art Brut Global Phase III: Here and Now
The third and final phase of Art Brut Global, "Here and Now", presented in an online viewing room by the Outsider Art Fair, runs from August 3 to August 24. Here and Now brings deserved attention to the current generation of
self-taught artists whose radically individualistic visions have propelled them to distinguished careers.
Sammytown, Joe Coleman, 2016. Acrylic on panel, 20.5 x 14 cm (8 x 5.5 in). Courtesy: Andrew Edlin Gallery As recognition of self-taught artists has gained traction, and their influence on contemporary art become widely acknowledged, their work has been more regularly exhibited and collected beyond the boundaries of the Outsider world, where it was first discovered and shared publicly.
Peurs Profondes, Evelyne Postic, 2019. Ink on paper map, 205 x 74 cm (41.5 x 29 in). Courtesy: Polysémie While many of those featured in Here and Now have been fixtures in the field for decades, like Charles Benefiel, François Burland, JJ Cromer, Donald Mitchell, Winfred Rembert, Ody
Saban, Kevin Sampson, Christine Sefelosha, and Domenico Zindato, more recent arrivals on the stage include virtuoso draftsmen like Noviadi Angkasapura, Gil Batle, and M’onma.
Setting Liberty Free (Will Her Cage Ever Be Empty?), Lonnie Holley, 2017. Found object assemblage, 169 x 47 x 58.5 cm (55.5 x 18.5 x 23 in). Courtesy: James Fuentes Please find the complete list of participating artists and galleries here.
Art in Quarantine: Caroline Jariwala
We caugh up with mosiac artist Caroline Jariwala to hear about how the global pandemic has been affecting her life and art. "I am a self-taught mosaic artist; I work in my studio at home in Bearwood in the West Midlands, UK. I have had two mosaic solo exhibitions, but that doesn’t interest me now. I am enthused to make my work on the surface of my house, inside and out. I use crockery found in charity shops and market stalls. I recycle and repurpose broken, chipped cups and cracked plates that would have found themselves in landfill."
"In mid March, I thought I had caught a common cold. I was bed ridden for nearly three weeks. All symptoms indicate it probably was Covid-19. It was during that time when lockdown was announced in the UK. I knew I needed a strategy to cope with being housebound, to keep my well-being positive. I had planned to create a mosaic for my hallway ceiling. It felt freeing to concentrate on just the creativity!"
Mosaic peacock in Caroline's workshop; photo: @mangomosaics "I have noticed during specific times , I am highly sensitive to colour at intense emotional points in my life. For example, when my parents passed away within 8 months of each in 2007 and 2008, my paintings shifted from high colour to a muted colour palette using henna powder, charcoal and earthy browns and ochre. "During lockdown, I tried to work in oranges, pinks and purples but I felt visually over stimulated with a physical distaste. The hallway landing is a dark section of my home, so I naturally felt drawn to white and cream ceramic tiles with golden edge crockery."
Mosaic staircase; photo: Steve Leath (The Express & Star, West Midlands) "I was inspired by mandala and geometric patterns of seed heads. I wove flowing lines and planting mandalas such as the Flower of Life pattern used in Buddhist iconography. I cut and shape everything using hand tools. I don’t like the noise of electric mechanical tools, as I would feel far removed from the meditation of making when noise is present. "Currently, the mandala is spreading further along the walls. They remind me of a gold
threaded white sari my Mother wore. My surname Jariwala means a weaver of golden thread; the family trade in Surat, Gujarat state, India. My intention is to continue down along the staircase, weaving joy and love throughout my home."
Check out Caroline's website, www.mangomosaics.co.uk, and follow her colourful Instagram: @mangomosaics
Obituary: Miodrag Pavlović Dragomirac
Miodrag Pavlović Dragomirac (1938–2020), a builder and farmer from Dobrača, Serbia, became a self-taught painter in his old age. He was also known as the 'last of the mohicans' because he was the very last in the line of genuine peasant naïve painters of the Balkans. Like a chronicler of the regional heritage, he painted heartwarming stories from the region where he grew up. Scenes of the immaculate village life, intact landscapes and
nostalgic portraits invoke increasing interest of naïve art lovers. For Dragomirac they were priceless because they will preserve his childhood for eternity.
"DRAGOMIRAC, samouki slikar Dobrače", by TVCentar
He showed his artistic talent in his early childhood, and devoted himself to painting as an elderly man, after he retired in 90s. He portrays his homeland in personalised and sentimental viewing. The spirit of village life is depicted in the rustic ambience of nature in his native Dobrača, thus recalling nostalgic memories. Especially inclined to portrait, the artist authentically animates the memory of people of a certain era. His pictorial expression is a unique witness of the existence of original art in our region.
Rest, Pavlović Dragomirac, 2017. Combined technique on cardboard, 35 x 50.5 cm (14 x 20 in). Courtesy: MNMA He had his first exhibition in Dobrača, then Kragujevac, Jagodina, Belgrade. His participation in the First Triennial of Self-taught Visionary Art organised by Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art at “Cvijeta Zuzorić” Art Pavilion in Belgrade (2016) was noteworthy and brought him Grand Prix for the Exhibited Works.
The paintings of Miodrag Pavlović Dragomirac are part of many private and public collections. The Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art included his works in its collection in 2016, where they have since been on permanent display.
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