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‘Replica’
An Art Circus Curated Show
At Blackwell’s Bookshop, Oxford

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The Art Circus is very pleased to announce our second curated group show, ‘Replica’ on show at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford. Featuring a collection of Contemporary Artist’s Giclee prints from the Art Circus’ Print Gallery . Artists on show will include Ryan Humphrey, SuperfutreKid, Fipsi Seilern, Sam Branton, Marta Suuster, Christopher Gee, KEELERTORNERO, Georgia Peskett, Daisy Clark and Phaedra Peer. Continue reading “‘Replica’
An Art Circus Curated Show
At Blackwell’s Bookshop, Oxford”

Claire Partington at the Young Masters Art Prize 2014

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Claire Partington’s elegant and witty ceramics, ‘Goldilocks’ (shown top) and ‘Catfishing’ (lidded vases), will be on show at the Young Masters Art Prize 2014. Claire’s ceramics, inspired by European Applied Art and Design styles from the 1600’s, are meticulously hand crafted and use traditional ceramic techniques. Her figurative pieces, based on the salt glazed “bartmann” figurative bottles and court mantua dresses of the 1700’s, feature charming interchangeable heads to create curious little stories around her characters. Find out more about Claire’s ceramics in our Q&A.

The Young Masters Art Prize was set up In 2009, by gallerist Cynthia Corbett and celebrates artists who pay homage to the skill and traditions of the past and draw inspiration from the Old Masters. Artists are selected for their appropriation of an element of the established art-historical canon; either through technique, imagery or subject, whilst establishing an undeniably contemporary spin.

Young Masters is on show at The Lloyds Club from 16th September 2014 – 5th December 2014 and Sphinx Fine Art 14th October 2014 – 31st October 2014.

The Art of ‘The Art of Swimming’ (1587)

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Everard Digby, born in 1550, was an academic theologian at Cambridge University. Digby created a series of 40 charming woodcuts to illustrate his book titled De Arte Natandi (The Art of Swimming) published in 1587 and is considered the first English treatise on the practice. The Art of Swimming was very influential and not only taught readers how to swim but also covered many safety issues. Digby warned of the dangers of swimming outdoors, jumping in feet first (particularly if the water has a muddy bottom to which your feet would stick), advised against swimming in murky ponds (in which animals may have been washed). and also suggested swimmers have a companion with them, to help if they get into difficulties. (Via) Continue reading “The Art of ‘The Art of Swimming’ (1587)”

Artist Show
Dulcy Lott’s ‘Everyone, Everyone Knows It’s Me’
At Blackwell’s Coffee Shop, Oxford

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1st of September – 14th of September

Dulcy Lott’s new collection of photographs, titled ‘Everyone, everyone knows it’s me’, touch on the darker side of fairy tales and focus on the surreal, unsettling moments that life throws at us. It also investigates the physicality and relationships within the photographers frame.

Dulcy used local Oxford dance artists Callum Anderson, Helen Wadge and Emma Jane Grieg, as well as models from a non dance background to create the work. The nimble dancers were put into dramatic and challenging dance positions, often within quite harsh surroundings such as rusty old fences, coarse stone walls and large,abandoned shipping containers. This combination, creates a tension and unease within the viewer as well as a chance to study the elegance of the human form in such demanding poses, for that split second, before they’ve been lost.

‘Everyone, everyone knows it’s me’ is on show at Blackwell’s Coffee Shop, Oxford.

A River Runs Through It

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Danish-Icelandic artist and designer Olafur Eliasson has created a riverbed in Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art entitled ‘Riverbed’. The whole floor of the South Wing of the museum was layered with rocks, creating a terrain for a stream of water to wind through. Visitors to the gallery are transported back outside, to experience walking on top of loose terrain, along a river.

Eliasson’s says of the piece ‘what I’m interested in with my work at the Louisiana isn’t really that you experience an object or an artwork. I am interested in how you connect this landscape to the rest of the world and ultimately, how you experience yourself within it. when we’re in our familiar surroundings, in our circle of family and friends, our senses are very finely tuned, but the further away we get from the local context, the cruder the sensing becomes. I wonder if our focus on the atmospheric can give us a relationship with something that is very abstract and far away.’ (Via)

Art Circus Spotlight
Lynne Wixon’s Architecture on the Beach

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My paintings are essentially representational but I also want them to take the viewer further. I want the paintings to present more than an image of a familiar place or object but also to take you to a time you once knew or feel reminded of. I like the paintings to create a narrative. They are all about man made structures and mans interaction with them but I remove all human representations to allow the viewer to find their own narrative.

This is the East arm of the entrance to Whitby harbour (featured above) I have a particular soft spot for this painting as I live just down the road from Whitby. It was also important to paint it at this time because its sister pier (west pier) had had its connecting bridge closed and the council were not planning to repair it. This would have meant that both piers would be completely unaccessable. Fortunately there was a successful local campaign and it was repaired. This painting therefore emphasises the lonely detached nature of the East pier with its boney remnants of what once linked it to the land. It now looks as though it might bob off into the North sea. Continue reading “Art Circus Spotlight
Lynne Wixon’s Architecture on the Beach”

Q&A with Hyunjeong Lim

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Hyunjeong Lim, born in Busan, South Korea, 1987. She has studied at Seoul National University, South Korea and Central Saint Martins, London. She currently lives in Busan.

Do you come from a creative family?

Actually, I’m the first and only artist from my family, both father’s and mother’s side. Though my parents are very supportive of me.

How did art school help, if at all, in the development of your practice?

I graduated Busan Art High school in my hometown, where I earned most of my drawing and painting skills that I use for my current practice. Back then, I didn’t think that I would become an artist but I could improve a standard of draftsmanship under the system of entering Korean art universities. After, I studied at the Seoul National University then at the Central Saint Martins, experiencing the art world bit by bit.

How did you find studying in London?

Although surviving in London was extremely expensive, spending part of my life in London as a student and an artist was certainly a the most valuable thing I’ve ever done. I just had so much fun by visiting all kinds of museums and art galleries in London. Becoming a museum goer has enormously inspired my practice and directly led me to research old western masters’ drawings and paintings. Continue reading “Q&A with Hyunjeong Lim”

Art Circus Show
‘The Last Man’ Views From The Gallery

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Here are some gallery shots of The Last Man exhibition at the James Freeman Gallery, along with some photos of the opening night. We had a great evening and would like to thank James Freeman, the artists involved and to everyone who came down. The show is on until the 2nd August 2014, so a few more weeks to check it out. Continue reading “Art Circus Show
‘The Last Man’ Views From The Gallery”

Abandoned Jellyfish

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Alongside the Liverpool biennial, every evening until July 27th, at a derelict building in the Toxteth district, an unused storefront shutter automatically opens at 10:00 pm. A beautiful glowing installation is revealed to unsuspecting passers-byes of a stunning, luminous tank filled with living, floating jellyfish. Created by artists Walter Hugo & Zoniel, the piece will be live streamed from the jellyfish tank and shown on the exterior of the Gazelli Art House in London. (Via)

Q&A with Christopher Gee

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How did your time at Camberwell help in the development of your work?

I didn’t really go into college much to be honest and preferred working from my room or exploring London. Although I did meet a life long friend there who still influences me greatly.

The works appears to take inspiration from horror films such as Village of the Damned The Brood and The Innocents. Is this the case and if so could you talk about your interest in these films?

No this isn’t the case. I don’t really watch horror films. I have seen The Innocents and enjoyed it very much. I was interested in the introverted characters of the two children. I like the ambiguities in the film and the general disquieting atmosphere. Continue reading “Q&A with Christopher Gee”