What a fantastic evening in Crosby! A huge thank you to Luke Skiffington for being an incredible host, and to everyone who came out to support the Paper Cuts 2 show.
If you couldn’t make it, there’s still time to catch the exhibition. It’s open by appointment from December 1st to December 3rd. All artwork is available for purchase through the gallery and online.
The countdown to Paper Cuts 2 is officially underway! Join us for the opening event on Saturday, 30th November, from 5-7pm, where we’ll gather for drinks in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The exhibition will then run by appointment from 1st to 3rd December.
Nestled in a Mersey View unit, just a short walk from the iconic Anthony Gormley installation on Crosby Beach, this intimate space will showcase an exciting and diverse collection of artists including: Ally Wallace, Beth Jones, Credo, Daniel Halsall, Elizabeth Challinor, Ellie Towers, Fiona Stirling, Frances Disley, Frea Buckler, Graham Lister, Hayley Harman, James Bacchi-Andreoli, Jennifer Douglas, Landlines Studio, Luke Skiffington, Marc Renshaw, Mark Brogan and Ruby Tingle.
We’d be delighted to see you there! For those traveling from outside Liverpool, the gallery’s postcode is LL22 6QB. Don’t miss this wonderful celebration of paper based creativity!
I had the pleasure of stopping by Paradise Works briefly this evening to experience Belinda Worsley’s installation, Rose is a Rose is a Rose, beautifully displayed in Jeffrey Knopf’s studio.
It was a joy to reconnect with familiar faces and meet so many new ones there. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came for the engaging conversations, to Belinda for inviting me to be part of this inspiring project, and to Jeffrey for graciously hosting. I’m excited to see where the postcards travel to next!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, 16th November, when “Rose is a Rose is a Rose” opens its doors for a special one-day event, coinciding with the Manchester Contemporary and Paradise Works’ Open Studios in Salford.
From 3 PM to 9 PM, Belinda Worsley will showcase her captivating postcard project, accompanied by works from Steven Calver, Angela Tait, and Jeffrey Knopf in his studio space.
The works in the Rose Project draw inspiration from Gertrude Stein’s famous line, “A rose is a rose is a rose,” a simplified form of the phrase from her 1913 poem Sacred Emily. Often interpreted as a reflection of the law of identity (“A is A”), the quote suggests that things are simply what they are. Stein believed that naming something evokes the emotions and imagery associated with it, an idea central to broader philosophical debates on universals—where thinkers like Peter Abelard used the rose to explore how language conveys meaning.
With my own work focused on the challenges of communication and the complexities of language, I created a couple of postcards reflecting these themes in connection to Stein’s quote. Be sure to look out for my text-based contributions amid the beautiful array of roses on display!
Enjoyed a fantastic evening at the AIR Open tonight! Now in its seventh year, this year’s exhibition is the largest yet, showcasing 58 works by contemporary artists from around the world. The collection spans diverse media including video art, drawing, sculpture, textiles, and mixed media. Additionally, a digital showcase featuring the longlisted artists is available on the AIR Open website.
The exhibition runs from August 16 to September 21, and visitors are invited to cast their votes for their favorite pieces. This year’s lineup features talented artists such as:
Aimee Spilsted, Alex Aiton, Amelia Frances Wood, ANDI, Archie Leigh-Jones, Becky Moon, Bethan Hamilton, Bill Psarras, Chris Lewtas, Ciarrai MacCormac, Craig Fisher, Daniel H Bell, Enxi Liu, Gareth Cairns, Hang Zhang, Helen Davies, Jay Ottewell, Julie Cassels, Justine Lesage, Kate Street, Katy Mason, Kelan Andrews, Laura Nathan, Lucy Ridges, Lucy Waters, Lois Hopwood, Luke Skiffington, Lula Braimbridge, Marc Renshaw, Marie Jones, Nicola Bolton, Nigel Grimmer, Nisaa Saeed Raja, Rachel Ackroyd, Ramon Omolają Adeyemi, Ruby Tingle, Sam Owen Hull, Sara Hindhaugh, Simon Leahy-Clark, Steve Sutton, Tom Motley, and Vincent James.
Definitely a must-see in Manchester for the summer!
A few pictures from the AWOL/Comme Ca Art Open 2024 preview. Had such a fantastic evening! Many great conversations with beautiful people amongst a gorgeous, eclectic selection of work. It must’ve been a huge challenge to narrow down the 200 odd entries to 22 artists!
The show is open to the public at Hope Mill from the 18th May and runs until Sat 22nd June 2024 (Opening times are Wednesday and Thursday 11-4pm & Sat 11-2pm). Plenty of time to catch it if you are about in the area! If you are new to the space, the gallery at Hope Mill is amazing too – great light with wonderful views of Ancoats and beyond. Highly recommend a visit!
Delighted to announce that I have been selected along with 21 others for the AWOL / Comme Ca 2024 Open Call. Many thanks to Short Supply, Sean Williams and Ceri Morgan for including my work in the show!
Really looking forward to the preview which will be held in Comme Ca’s gallery space at Hope Mill, Ancoats on 17th May 2024 (which is when the overall winner and highly commended prizes will be announced). The lucky first prize winner will receive £2,000, £150 in Cass Art vouchers and an exhibition opportunity at Cass Art in Manchester. The highly commended prize winner will receive £500.
Exhibiting artists are as follows: Aimee Spilstead, Anna Stevens, Catherine Hill, Christopher Rainham, Daniel Hester, Dotto, Georgia Noble, Hanzhi Zong, Helen Davies, James Bloomfield, Jamie Kirk, Jon Pountain, Kay Shah, Laura Nathan, Luke Armstrong, Michael Mackenzie, Niamh Murphy, Olga Mun, Sarah Grant, Sharon Howarth and Simon Blackley.
I am thrilled to announce that I have been selected for the Manchester Open 2024 at HOME. My work will be on display in the gallery space along with 480 other creatives from Saturday 3rd February until Sunday 28th April. It promises to be a huge celebration of the creative talent Manchester has to offer and I am very much looking forward to taking part.
Stay tuned for more information!
Really happy to have received news that a couple of my works have been selected for Open 2023 at Bury Art Museum. This is the museum’s first ever open exhibition and it will be showing the best of the North West as selected by a panel of highly esteemed judges:
Paulette Brien (Curator – Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool), Mike Chavez-Dawson (Artist/Curator), Jez Dolan (Artist) and Tony Heaton OBE (Artist).
The OPEN 2023 Preview & Prize Giving is due to take place on Friday 20 October from 18:00-21:00. The show will run from 21st October 2023 – 3rd February 2024 with most works available to purchase.
Exciting news to share… I have been invited to take part in Tees at Rogue Studios; an exhibition exploring the t-shirt as art form. Taking ‘Article 19’ as its point of reference, the show poses the question: “Protest / Self-expression, what is the difference?”. It will feature work by Sir Peter Blake, Jeremy Deller, David Shrigley, Bob and Roberta Smith and artists from Rogue, Paradise Works, Suite (my studios), Bankley, AWOL, Islington Mill and beyond.
The preview is due to take place on 30th September 2023 from 2-5pm (to coincide with an open studios event). You can catch the show until 31st October 2023 (opening times are between 12-4pm on Saturdays or by appointment.
The exhibition is curated by Mike Chavez-Dawson and assisted by; Jamie Kirk, Grecia Balassone, Vincent Patterson, Maggie Stick and John Paul Brown.
