Inside Story

'Brink' Frances Richardson, 2006,mdf/porcelain, courtesy, the artist

Get up close and personal to some of the best London artistic talent as 40 studios throw open their doors to the public with Arts Unwrapped. Loma-Ann Bonner visited one of them.

Down a quiet residential street, next to Sainsbury’s and round the back of a church is an art studio housing 40 of the best established and up-and-coming UK artistic talent, as well as creating education and outreach programmes for kids and the community.
Studio Voltaire is a  buzzing complex and microcosm of the exciting, expanding and diverse London art scene.
Artists such as RCA graduate Frances Richardson (one of the artists showing in Anticipation, a new exhibition curated by Flora Fairburn, Kay Saatchi and Catriona Warren ) Turner nominated Mark Titchner, audio artist William Furlong and mixed media artist Karen Damico all rub along under one roof, creating contrasting, innovative and fresh work.
Frances – who, when I meet her is suffering from jetlag after a trip to the USA as well as busily preparing for the opening night of Anticipation –  has a topsy-turvy treasure-trove of a space filled with open filing cabinets, a drill, a workbench, piles of papers and jars of bits and bobs.
She describes her work as “ presenting emotional dereliction” which may sound a bit maudlin but is actually very relevant and reflective of our modern society.
“I want to look at the emotions that are glossed over in contemporary consumer society,” she explains.
“What’s beneath the glitz and glamour? What happens if you don’t give way to the desires that we use to paste over things?”
What indeed?
“There’s a lot of trauma underneath. But my work is quiet and contemplative. It makes people think, although, actually, I don’t know if it’s my business to know about what.”
Moving through the high ceilinged , rabbit warren of studios I find Central St Martins graduate Karen Damico, whose work and studio is in direct contrast to Frances’.
Labelled box files tidily line the shelves and a pristine laptop is surrounded by pretty ceramic pots of clean brushes and sharpened pencils.
Karen’s work is about exploring identity which she does through heavy use of text.
One of her works “ Champagne Army” is a take on the famous Terracotta Army and made up of champagne corks.
Leaving Studio Voltaire with all its contradictions and diversity it’s clear that, just from this little corner of Clapham, London is bursting with creative talent that we can all appreciate and be a part of.


Arts Unwrapped  takes place at studios across London from June 1st-3rd and June 8th- 10th. For full details visit www.artsunwrapped.com
Studio Voltaire’s opening hours for Arts Unwrapped are Friday 8th June, 6-9pm for an opening party (all welcome), Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th 1-6pm
See Frances Richardson at Anticipation, One One One Gallery, 111 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 6RY until June 9th



 

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