‘Her need to make is off the scale’: why Nnena Kalu’s Turner prize nomination is a watershed moment for art
The Glasgow-born artist makes huge cocoon-like sculptures out of found fabric and videotape. We meet the team who helped her become the firs
seen from United States

seen from Netherlands
seen from Bangladesh
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States

seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Jamaica
seen from Netherlands

seen from Netherlands

seen from Netherlands
seen from China

seen from United States
‘Her need to make is off the scale’: why Nnena Kalu’s Turner prize nomination is a watershed moment for art
The Glasgow-born artist makes huge cocoon-like sculptures out of found fabric and videotape. We meet the team who helped her become the firs
The Out There Art Fair returns to Cockpit Arts Winter Open Studios in Holborn for a 4th year. The Out There Art Fair provides the opportunity to view and buy unique and innovative art by over 60 artists from 4 London studios. This year the curator Cornelia Marland will be the guest selector of the exhibition.
For this year’s The Out There Art Fair, ActionSpace, (a London based visual arts organisation for artists with learning disabilities), artists will respond to the theme of ‘Patterns of My Mind’. This may be literal patterns that the artist has created through abstracted, repeated shapes or the implied patterns that can be found in landscapes, textures and familiar forms. The exhibition will offer an insight into how the work itself can reveal the thought patterns of the artist’s creative mind.
As well as the curated exhibition, The Out There Art Fair will include a large selection of unframed art works for purchase. It is the perfect opportunity for collectors and art-lovers to discover new artists and buy original artworks. https://actionspace.org/the-out-there-art-fair-patterns-of-my-mind-29-november-1-december-2019/
Claudia Williams joined Action Space, (London based visual arts organisation for artists with learning disabilities), in 2013 and quickly established herself as a key resident artist at the Voltaire Studio with a clear, definite practice. In 2014 Claudia exhibited with Action Space for the first time during ‘Watch This Space’ as part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe. The Studio Voltaire Members Show in 2015 was Claudia’s first exhibition in a contemporary gallery. Then in 2016 Claudia developed a site specific drawing installation for ‘Watch This Space’ in an empty shop unit at the Southside Shopping Centre. She worked through the day developing a series of ‘Wandsworth Shopping Centre’ drawings. Workshop participants worked alongside Claudia, inspired by her practice, developing their own drawings to add to the installation. https://actionspace.org/artists/claudia-williams/
Amita Ramchandani incorporates a range of materials into her 2D and 3D artworks. She uses collage, weaving, sewing and painting to create pieces that include a range of organic forms reminiscent of elements of nature. Amita’s paintings exude energy and colourful drama. She uses textiles to add a touch of delicate, feminine charm. Both are often mixed together into colourful, dynamic sculptural forms. She is an artist at Action Space: “a London based visual arts organisation. We support artists with learning disabilities and create innovative projects for people with learning disabilities to engage with the visual arts.” https://actionspace.org/artists/amita-ramchandani/
TUBE LINES Tate Exchange Level 5, Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG 2nd – 3rd July, 2019 12 – 6pm Proud to be supporting ActionSpace artists Linda Bell, Pardip Kapil, Nnena Kalu and Mark Lawrence. Presenting TUBE LINES, a series of interactive installations along an interconnecting mega tubing structure, developing live on the Tate Exchange floor. Visitors will become creative neighbours, sharing the artists’ distinctive practices and creating alongside them using sculpture, film and performance. Connected by movement and music alongside audio created in collaboration with artist Richard Phoenix. #ActionSpace #LindaBell #PardipKapil #NnenaKalu #MarkLawrence #RichardPhoenix #exhibition #Tate #TateExchange #TubeLines #interactive #film #Sculpture #performance #creative #artist (at TATE EXCHANGE - Level 5) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJCU8DAxKf/?igshid=dzkbg19e1rhn
ASSEMBLED LINES Studio RCA 3 - 5 May 2019, 11 - 5pm. Group exhibition including textile, painting, drawing and projections. By four amazing artists Chandrakant Patel, Lasimin Salmon, Robin Smith and Roland Young. www.actionspace.org Part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe. Arts Council England. #actionspace #art #artnow #wandswothartfringe #volenteering (at Studio RCA Riverlight) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw6W8p8ghti/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1iraq5cmylt4x
ActionScape #1
Saturday 24. April 8-10 pm
[seven performance artists] [open session] [re-sculpturing space] [visual jam] For the event, seven performance artists working within different disciplines engaging in an open session to create ActionScape #1. The structured and thematically focused interaction of instruments in a musical jam results in soundscapes. In a performance jam, musical instruments are replaced with the individual forms of performance practice developed by the participating artists. The soundscape turns into an ActionScape. Interdependent fragments of musical structures are replaced by interdependent fragments of action. This event is facilitated by ActionScape, supported by APA-B, Paersche and gr_und www.apa-b.org www.paersche.org www.gr-und.de photo: (C) Hori izhaki
FB Event
Thompson Hall: My Life in London
Thompson Hall and Ian Wornast are currently researching and developing work for their Unlimited Emerging Artist Commission - My Life in London. In this blog, Thompson Hall writes about his experience in the lead up to the exhibition.
Thompson Hall and Lisa Brown in the studio
We chose My Life in London as the title because the exhibition is about what it means to be a Londoner. My work is about my research in my family ancestry and what I like to do in London. The places I go to, what I do, my life. The galleries and museums are places I visit quite often to find out useful information. I go to galleries to get ideas, I’d say they have been important. I paint the buildings and sometimes the shape of them and the architecture inspires me but they are not true to life. It is more abstract than that.
My paintings are a combination of the galleries in London and African influences from my Mum’s side of the family. In my work a lot of the African influences developed when I talked with Christopher Spring at the British Museum about African textiles. I explained about my family’s ancestry and how that plays into my life. The colours and patterns in my paintings come from there – it’s something I grew up around, wearing robes like my relatives living in West Africa. I grew up with a lot of clothing and material around me from West Africa.
I use colour in a way that’s very spontaneous, without thinking too much about what goes with what. I kind of have a plan in my head but it’s not really set. If I’m at home I tend to spend a bit of time thinking about what sort of images I use, or to draw. Sometimes I use colours to express feelings and emotions. I suppose it’s also to describe my personality: how I interpret the galleries and African influences in my own way, with my personal style. As I paint from memory, I have them stored in the back of my head and then bring them out and turn that into an idea and then that becomes a body of work.
Thompson Hall and Christopher Spring at The British Museum
What I’ve done in this commission is different to what I’ve done before. It’s very much about, you know, how I see myself and how other people see me. It’s more about looking inside. I’m also using new techniques and painting on new materials like blinds.
In this commission I enjoyed working with a friend, Ian. It made things easier – I didn’t have to work alone! I liked sharing ideas. There wasn’t so much pressure on me to think of ideas – it’s easier when you have another person to chat to about the commission. I also liked going to all the galleries together and finding new things to use for my work.
I don’t know what I want to do next… maybe after the exhibition I might take some time out for myself to think about what I want to do. I am thinking about doing a residency, something I wanted to do but I put aside for the commissions. It’s something I’ve never done and I’d like to try something completely different. Maybe I’ll experiment with new materials and move away from painting for a bit!
Thompson Hall and Ian Wornast’s exhibition My Life in London runs from 21 - 27 March 2018 at The Koppel Project Hive. To find out more please visit www.actionspace.org