Curated by Annette Ebanks, Anne Louise Kershaw and Nick Telfer.
Exhibiting artists: I. Baron, Annette Ebanks, Rachael Field, Roger Howard, Akinyemi Oludele, Simon Mawdsley, Paul Richards, Alan S, Dave Ward-Speers, Pam Ward-Speers and Nick Telfer.
Random Acts of Kindness presents a wide range of mixed media work including painting, drawing, collage, assemblage, installation and more across a range of artistic focus, from the concrete to the abstract.
The variety of work represents the uniqueness of each artist involved in Pool Arts whilst the shared themes of abstraction of thought and colour are apparent, the most unifying part of the collective is their absolute support of one another, and their intention to make positive with the artwork they create.
Curatorial Statement from Anne Louise Kershaw
“In a ‘post-covid’, post-truth society where people are being systematically disconnected from real essentials that they need to grow and thrive and enjoy life. The increased use of technological, media bureaucratic systems desensitise and disconnect us from each other and ourselves, meaning that the mere act of peer support, love, kindness becomes one of the most radical. This exhibition is an example of what can happen when we prioritise democracy, love and kindness. Random acts of kindness is no longer gift card glib, but one of the only real things we can genuinely do to make change and connect with one another. These artists and their artworks are a random act of kindness. One of the most truly political acts of all.”
About Pool Arts
Pools Arts, the organisation, is a work of art in its own right, that is constantly evolving and adapting itself to create opportunities for artists who may otherwise find themselves isolated or disadvantaged in the art world – it asks who an artist might be today. Pool Arts aims to challenge the barriers that some artists face, by providing opportunities to create.
Find out more by visiting the Pool Arts Website
More about this exhibition from Pool Arts:
“We are a disparate group in terms of practice, but we always aim to give encouragement and respect to all our members, traits that we look to show to anyone who would like to join us. Though much of our work explores the political and economic realities of today, many amongst us are as concerned as much with the aesthetic as we are with the social.
We have until recently been guided by Alison Kershaw, our long term mentor and the founder of Pool Arts. Alison died from cancer in October of last year and we honour her with the work we exhibit here. Understanding the impact that artistic creation has on a person’s life, Alison encouraged and nurtured our individual approaches and the very different people we are; she was keen for us to express ourselves, whilst always working as a collective and pooling our resources in support and kindness.
The work exhibited has been completed subsequent to her passing, and it would have given her great pleasure to witness the individual and collective progression we have made in our use of abstract colour and thought.
Perhaps a common thread is that we look to be confrontational through our continued presence in the world as a collective of supportive souls. That all we know of love is love is all there is.
We would like to thank our current mentor Anne Louise Kershaw and our administrator Jenny Thomas for their guidance since Alison’s passing.”
Image credit: I. Baron.