Oxmarket are looking forward to welcoming The Makers’ Art Collective to the Wilson Gallery for a 2 week exhibition. This exceptional group of artists came together in 2019 through the application of academic rigour to their work in the form of MA degrees. Each artist addresses current societal issues and changes through the lens of their own experiences and histories, with distinct characteristics.
This includes reference to memory, identity, people, place and time and environment. Having shown first in 2019 at the OXO Tower in London The Makers’ Art Collective now come together again to reconnect with the community, the environment and with each other.
Each artist challenges perceived uses of their media to create new approaches, showcasing considerable skills in their respective specialisms and pushing the boundaries of art and design through contemporary practice as well as using personal histories to create their work. Jennifa Chowdhury's exploration of contemporary expressions of heritage, identity and belonging are reflected in her visual language, which is influenced by Islamic geometric pattern construction, while her process-driven creative practice emphasises the fundamental roles of light, shadow, and movement. The artist Sharon Kearley discusses how her work investigates the potential of the emotional, physical and hidden line within the landscape, perceiving the linear as a ‘connector’ of people, place and time. Researching archive maps, forgotten paths and the rhythm of walking, she investigates qualities of trace and fluidity through a playful and innovative approach to weave, drawing on ephemeral, spatial qualities and narrative to produce artworks for installation and exhibition.
This artwork offers original and exciting works that can both delight in their vibrant aesthetics and prompt a very real human response. This is very evident in the work of the various artists. Textile artist Dawn Thorne says how her practice investigates relationships between embroiderers, their tools and materials, and how the body interacts with the cloth and visualises how this is evidenced on the creative outcome. Tracy Dryden-Jones’ ceramic forms reflect the woodlands, undulating valleys and rugged moorland which surround her Yorkshire home. Using metals Samantha English seeks to capture the fragments, preciousness, decay and sensations of memory. She says, our memories are scattered and frayed at the edges, they are at the mercy of our emotions and desires and carry the complexity and weight of our own narratives. Paula Reason builds on her background as an architect to explore, through textiles and oil painting, the relationship that we have with the built environment. Our surroundings, at their best, are like a comfort blanket to our lives. At their worst, the opposite is true, and these should be challenged.
The close examination of each work will provide surprising detail and skill. One aspect of Siân Highwood’s current work is to use petals to form vessels reflecting the demise of summer each year. Award-winning artist and designer, Helen Twigge-Molecey’s practice incorporates eclectic interests from the hand-made to the industrial. Her work ranges from toy and product design to conceptual art and large-scale public installations. Often playing with light, colour, pattern and perspective, underpinning Helen’s work is a desire to make it beautiful, simple, accessible and fun.
