Familiar
167 Whitecross Street, London, EC1Y 8JT
18.10.24 - present
Viewing by appointment or visit Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 11-4pm
Artbox London are proud to present FAMILIAR, a group exhibition opening on 18 October in the charity’s popup gallery in Islington, London. The exhibition explores figuration, stylisation and a blurring of realism. Each artist featured in FAMILIAR has a highly distinct visual language, working from found images and their own imaginations to create both new and familiar worlds. Everyday objects and scenes are reimagined, resulting in visions of life that are recognisable while also completely singular and unique. The artists are encouraged to experiment with a range of materials, styles and techniques in Artbox London’s workshops for artists with learning disabilities and autism.
Meet The Artists
Emma
Working predominantly with watercolour, pastel and charcoal, Emma creates seas of colour that are completely her own, with a truly unique visual language. The starting point of her pieces is always from art history, though once the image is chosen she departs into her own world of forms, figures, clothing and environments. Colours become bolder, landscapes more expansive, portraits more iconic. Importantly, she normally chooses to leave the faces of her models blank, so as to create as great a contrast as possible with them and the maximalist surroundings. The story of the work always remains central - Emma is particularly inspired by women’s stories and seeks to highlight these in her pieces. She enjoys relaying the narrative of her artworks and who the figures within them are - in this way, her art serves as a vehicle through which she can explore her fascination with history, art, culture and femininity.
Toyin
Toyin is a very prolific artist with unbound energy and enthusiasm for making art - she keeps a count of every piece she’s made, that number currently sitting at over 4000.
Her output is wide, rich and varied, with work existing over a range of different forms: books, embroidery, tapestry, pottery, sculpture, paintings and drawings. Inspiration comes from everywhere - the work of her favourite artists, such as Picasso, her friends at artbox, her family and cultural heritage, or the tv shows, cartoons and music that she enjoys. It’s a continually developing practice, constantly pushing forward and evolving.
Her work is notable for her approach to pattern and decoration, her use of words and text, and her unique use of gel pens - she’ll blow out the ink from inside gel pens and use it as a paint, lending her pieces a glittery sheen and a bright colour palette.
Richard
Richard’s art is a reflection of his sweet and gentle nature. Trees, flowerbeds, clouds, boats and houses populate his scenes, standing solidly in the foreground like actors on a stage. It’s a soothing world, sometimes dreamlike, always serene.
He works entirely from his imagination and memory, so his depictions of things are completely his own and have a uniqueness and identifiable signature. He composes things in a similarly unique way - rhythm and balance is created by elements that repeat and echo, or by layering components on top of one another. His pictures are often small in size and lovingly crafted - he uses watercolour and gouache, as well as pastels, inks and coloured pencils, and favours well balanced, soft, pastel tones.
James
James’ work is sparky, energetic, often funny, richly layered and full of movement.
The objects depicted in his pictures come from copying images from magazines and books - publications like ‘country living’ or ‘world of interiors’. Furniture, artefacts, antiques and interiors are reflected in an uncanny and quirky way, sometimes made to look ridiculous. His quality of line is particularly beautiful - there are moments and passages in each piece where James lays his focus, thickening and repeating lines, making them bolder, more precise.
James’ sense of humour comes through the work too, often with his use of text. Single words like ‘Country’ or ‘Time’ or ‘House’ will punctuate the composition like a heading of a newspaper, sometimes matching what imagery is depicted, but at other times not, adding an element of mystery and enigma.
Seatton
Seatton has a highly distinct and expressive way of depicting the world - objects, space and figures are rendered in a singular and enigmatic way.
His output is prolific - working across multiple pieces at a time, he builds up compositions slowly in layers, clashing materials together to create rich textures. A favourite technique is mono-printing using discarded riso master sheets, allowing for figures, objects and motifs to be superimposed into the composition. Imagery is sourced from fashion magazines, books, stock imagery, memory and imagination - often collaged together in surreal ways.
Seatton’s quality of line is his signature, as well as the confidence and style with which he draws his beautiful figures.
In 2023, he was commissioned by the musician CMAT to make the album artwork for her Mercury Prize nominated “Crazymad, for me”.
