I am one of fourteen artists exhibiting in an exhibition of small paintings ‘Precious Little’ at Mura Ma Art Space from 23 November – 23 December 2023.
Beach Bums 2 and 1, oil on found ply by Nan Collantine
Presenting the rich and varied breadth of painting taking place in northern England today, Mura Ma has gathered 14 northern contemporary painters for its final exhibition of the year. In the gallery vault, a second exhibition titled Paper Thin Skin, presents a series of works on paper by highly regarded Australian artist, Veronica Cay.
Precious Little will feature two paintings from each of the following artists; Sue Asbury, Nan Collantine, Rob Hall, Ghislaine Howard, Kate Jacob, Josie Jenkins, Joe Kiney-Whitmore, Alison Friend, Jen Orpin, Joe O’Rourke, Georgia Peskett, Jayne Simpson, Helen Thomas, Mike Thorpe.
The exhibition will offer a dual encounter, as paintings collectively enter a dialogue with each other, and due to the size of the paintings, each presents the viewer with an intimate experience.
“Small compact works often contain a real sense of supressed energy and underlying tension. They demand close inspection, are they calling out or are they calling in? Do they present barriers or a glimpse of something fleeting. Time is trapped in painting, and it would seem even more so in a confined space. It will be interesting to view this collection of disparate works together and what sort of environment they will collectively invoke,” says artist and exhibition curator, Nan Collantine
In the Vault with Veronica Cay
An exhibition of works on paper by Australian artist, Veronica Cay will be taking place in the gallery vault.
Cay’s arts practice engages with the contradictions inherent in contemporary life from a gendered perspective. She has spent many years developing a personal language as a vehicle to convey meaning and ideas, and as an endeavour to reflect upon what it means to be human; seeking connections, testing resilience and acknowledging frailties. Her drawings all stem from weekly life drawing sessions – her mark making is often intuitive, both responding to the marks and/or obliterating them.
She has work in National & International public and private collections, has had numerous solo exhibitions and been a selected finalist in many national juried art prizes and awards in Australia. Cay currently lives on Gubbi Gubbi land on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of Australia.
“Drawing from life is central to my practice – it’s a very physical process and these portraits like most of the work I do is generated in these sessions. Whilst observational drawing is the beginning of the process it is usually quickly lost in my translations,” states Cay.
“My work is about opening conversations and distilling experiences through marks that can be revealed across the surface, utterances that can be swift and staccato in sound and rhythm or fluid and generous in their tone, substance, texture and form. I use a range of mediums and tools to help evoke a response or excite the imagination. I juggle between an expressive, uncontrolled process and a sensitive more emotive response. I seek to remove traces of certainty or perfection in the marks revealing transitory moments in time – an energy transfer that is never repeated; like fleeting shadows flickering across the ground.”
All work in the two exhibitions is available to buy. For a catalogue of works email hello@murama.co.uk