Traverse
Venue: pythongallery
When: 29/09/2015 – 30/10/2015
Admission: Free
TRAVERSE
2 – 30 October 2015
Private View: 16 October, 6-8.30pm
Meet the Artists Event: 20 October, 11am-1pm
Emma Bennett
Jan Sopher
This exhibition looks at how maps and journeys have informed the current work of artists Emma Bennett and Jan Sopher.
The artworks complement each other in relation to their materials, processes and methodologies.
Old maps and prayer flags encounter marker pens and stitched messages in a show that unites the artists’ individual practices.
Emma Bennett
The work shown in this exhibition continues my interest in using old charts and employing early triangulation methods to plot personal journeys that are informed by travel, memory and personal connections. The levels of opacity within the coloured areas of the drawings and paintings relate to how vivid my recollection may be.
Reworking some of my map drawings into paintings I aim to create a connection between the works shown. Like distant memories, the paintings trace journeys taken which are not as evident as in the original drawings. The painted surface is assembled using a process of selection and deconstruction of form and colour which is then rebuilt into precise structures.
Jan Sopher
The grid in one form or another is a recurring visual device in my practice. In this body of work it expresses latitude and longitude, the imaginary lines, which measure out the surface of the earth and define location and time zones.
Maps employ these virtual grids but additionally have signs and symbols representing real features and landmarks. They are invaluable for anyone preparing for a journey whether physical or spiritual, business or meeting loved ones. For many, they have been superseded by modern technology but a map and a compass will always be a reliable means of navigation.
The work in this exhibition encompasses many journeys and connections I have made as an individual, a tourist, a pilgrim, a friend, an artist and a mother.