karen joyce
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The 2014 Neo: print prize

17/9/2014

9 Comments

 
Picture
I might have mentioned before that I'm not great at turning up to exhibitions to order - I manage quite a few, sooner or later in their run, but normally more by luck than good judgement.
This is especially true of Neo: exhibitions.  They're very handy and I often think of them when I'm in Bolton, but inevitably on the wrong days.  I seem to be far more together on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the Neo: gallery is open at the other end of the week.  However, for the biennial print prize, with Gemma Lacey's 'Longing' work in it (though I'd love to have seen the actual print with the cabinet), I made an exception and turned up with the rest of the world on the first Saturday afternoon of the exhibition.  Rather too many people for me, but in terms of an opening, I have to suppose many people is a good thing. 
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Gemma Lacey - Longing Cabinet

As you might imagine, it was a fascinating show, rich in variety of print method, theme, substrate.  The most odd might have been printing on a wasps' nest, and it was definitely unusual to see a piece of work suspended under a shelf .  The show was, of course, entirely different to the previous neo: print prize - obviously; different artists, different works, but presumably most importantly, different selectors.  I'm sure it's a hackneyed idea, but it made me realise how interesting it might be to present the same pool of work to different selectors and see how much the choices vary.  Or even, maybe, how little.  I suppose that's sort of what happens with Discerning Eye - there are six selectors, who each pick their own mini-exhibition, but I don't think there's any overlap of work between them.  The same artists might turn up, but not the same pieces.

Lots to like here, though I didn't particularly go for any of the prize prints.  I don't expect to - I'm never going to be a cutting edge sort of a person, in what I do or what I like, and so what?  My own particular favourite was Barbara Ann Swan's 'DNA Women' -  I stood in front of it for ages, studying the riveting selection of body parts.  Loved it.  I liked the strips of film way of hanging it, trailing on to the floor, too. 
   
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Barbara Ann Swan - DNA Women

I also really liked Rosey Prince's 'Elephant (with yellow wall)' for its lovely combination of saturated colour with obviously black and white, Victoria Ahren's rich 'Home Front', Fiona Grady's 'Arcs I-V' as they quietly developed across the set, and the non-prizewinning work by Susan Eyre, 'Paradise Row SW4' for that lovely, sly flash of colour in amongst the shades of grey. 
I recognized Kaori Homma's work as something I had seen in Discerning Eye's exhibitions a few years ago - they are described as being fire, acid and water on paper, and I'd love to know (of course) how they're made.  Looking through the catalogue, I have realised first that a dozen or so works aren't in there - seems a bit of a shame - and second that there are works in it that I like but failed to notice at the show.  Must really try to go back before it finishes on 2nd November.  
9 Comments
Kaori Homma link
17/9/2014 09:11:29 am

Thank you for mentioning my work.

Reply
Karen
17/9/2014 09:26:34 am

I don't think there's anything out there quite like your work, Kaori, with the strong,smoky black silhouettes and the feel almost of watercolour. It's very distinctive.

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Rosey Prince link
17/9/2014 05:45:44 pm

I'm glad you liked my work though my name is Rosey Prince as in the artist formerly known as. Not Rosey Price as in .. well I'm not sure.. anyway..

Reply
Karen
18/9/2014 01:21:17 am

The only Price I can think of immediately is Vincent! Still, it has an artistic ring of sorts? Apologies for the error (give it a few more years and I'll be misspelling everything) and I've returned you to your former Princely state.

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Rosey Prince link
18/9/2014 02:04:15 pm

Thank you :) though glad you thought of Vincent and not Katie!

Barbara Ann Swan
18/9/2014 03:55:23 am

Hello Karen,
I would like to thank you for the wonderful wright up you did for the neo print-prize, I am so pleased that my DNA Women happened to be your favourite your kind words meant so much to me, thank you for taking the time looking at my work and the photos are great
thank you once again

Reply
Karen
18/9/2014 03:09:33 pm

I can't take credit for the photos - the nice people at neo: forwarded me the ones I requested, otherwise it would have been scans from the catalogue.

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lyn bannister link
18/9/2014 04:56:15 am

HI Karen, great writeup, glad you made it to the preview. For info the judges do all select their own mini exhibitions at the digital stage. There is some overlap but not much which is very interesting. Obviously some pieces don't make the cut when the physical selection is done but there is always a good representation of each judges selected work in there :)

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Karen
18/9/2014 03:18:43 pm

Hello Lyn - I think I was broadly aware that this was the initial stage, and (I think) that they add up the 'votes', yes? But imagine a new handful of judges with different tastes, and picture how different the exhibition might, just might, be. Or not, of course. A 'what if' scenario that piques my curiousity, nothing more.

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    Hi there

    I make prints and book arts, though nowhere near as often as I'd like - no good reason, just an inability to get on with things.  I occasionally go on about landscape (with which I am mildly obsessed) and various of its elements, and I like to pass comment on exhibitions I visit.

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