Accompanying EventsLay of the land (and other such myths): Public preview
Friday 5 May, 6-9pm
Join us for the public preview of this brand new solo exhibition, which will include a premiere performance of a site-responsive sound work, composed by Victoria Lucas, in collaboration with a group of locally based female singers. This sound work has been developed through a series of artist-led workshops, which focused on nearby brownfield sites and their potential as subversive places. Working from a harmony towards a chaotic, discordant sound, the group will fill the installation with their voices in a way that extends their presence away from the body in to the surrounding space.
The Artist Soup Kitchen
Reflections of Belongings and Becomings: Art, Maternity and Family Art Activism with Dr. Paula McClosky
Saturday 20 May, 12-2pm
In 2016, the performance artist Marina Abramovic said that having children would have been ‘a disaster for her work’. She went on to say that, ‘In my opinion that’s the reason why women aren’t as successful as men in the art world. There’s plenty of talented women. Why do men take over the important positions? It’s simple. Love, family, children – a woman doesn’t want to sacrifice all of that.’
Her words follow other female artists, such as Tracey Emin who, when interviewed in The Independent, said: ‘There are good artists that have children. Of course there are. They are called men. Mothers are too “emotionally torn.”’
Recently, there has been a proliferation of women artists who are exploring maternity in all its myriad forms. In this Soup Kitchen, Dr. Paula McCloskey will explore the challenges facing artists with young families. What does it mean to be an artist and a mother? How do you test and challenge the existing art structures and models of traditional art institutions? And, how do you juggle the demands of parenting young children alongside artistic and other paid labour, often with little or no support?
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The Artist Soup Kitchens, devised by Anna Francis, have been running at AirSpace since 2012, and are designed to offer an informal creative space for artists to discuss contemporary issues and concerns and the effects they have on their practices. For more information about the Soup Kitchens, including details on how to book your place, please visit the AirSpace Gallery website.
Lay of the land (and other such myths)
In Conversation With
Saturday 20 May, 2:30-3:30pm
In conversation with Dr. Paula McCloskey, Victoria Lucas will tour us around the exhibition, offering insights into and discussion points around this major new installation. Within the talk, Victoria will broaden out her thinking to include the feminist framework underpinning the work. For more information on the Tour, including booking details, please visit the AirSpace Gallery website.
