BEYOND One
Step is back at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery for the ninth time, showcasing
the work of emerging regional artists.
Andrea Hadley-Johnson,
the curator, said: "It's a privilege to work closely with emerging artists
and to collaborate at this early stage in their career.
"Having
a professionally curated exhibition under their belts will allow them to
approach other galleries confidently and apply the professional skills gained
throughout the process."
Beyond One
Step tackles many themes displayed in a variety of ways such as photography,
sculpture and social media. The work largely occupies two galleries on the top
floor.
Some pieces,
like that of Lauren O'Grady's Smoke Screen, feature elsewhere in the museum.
Lauren, 29,
a graduate of Nottingham Trent University, says she was: "Inspired by a
range of remembered imagery, in particular fragments of landscape like the
smoke towers of Nottingham. The ideas behind the work are inspired by
speculative fiction, the familiar and unfamiliar, model making, cinematography
and history."
The
inspiration for each artist is as diverse as their talents.
De Montfort
University graduate Paul Folding, 63, says his Call To Mind piece: "Is
made up of a series of abstract panels inspired by fond memories of hill
walking in Devon and is a response to my feelings and emotions."
Vasiliki
Fragkou says her Flowing Feelings sculptures:
“espouse Heraclitus who said: ‘All things flow and nothing stands still’”
Elisavet
Andreaou, 24, a Fine Art PhD student at De Montfort University says: “Having
grown up in a country as traumatised as Cyprus, I began considering the nature
of values at a very young age.
“The work
interprets the meaning of equilibrium in terms of tradition; how the tradition
and culture of my country contributes to the creation of a well-balanced
operating system.
“The
customs, beliefs, religion, as well as, the arts, moral values and various intellectual
manifestations provide the notion of belonging, as well as, the awareness of
the national identity of the individual. Thus, tradition operates an
institution of equilibrium for the individual and society.”
Bruce
Asbestos’s ‘Social Media Takeaway’ occupies a whole room in order to make his
weekly videos based upon suggestions by visitors to the gallery and to his
Facebook and Twitter accounts. Mr Asbestos, 31, an MA graduate of Nottingham
Trent University, said his “unusual” work is inspired by: “what’s possible with
the technology we have at the moment and what art we can produce by
collaborating with it.”
The artists
are delighted with this opportunity at the venue.
Weixi Lin,
24, is a graduate of photography from Nottingham Trent University. She says:
"I am very happy to show my inner world with all the audience and I will
keep going and move on."
Stephen
Elvidge: “it was a privilege to be selected amongst such an exciting and
diverse group of emerging artists”
Elisavet Andreaou
says: “being a foreign artist makes it even harder to get the chance to exhibit
work in the UK, as well as, other significant European and International
cultural art centres. I will always be grateful to the Derby Museum and the
exhibition leaders for their precious help.”
Carol
Harries-Wood, 51, is studying for a fine arts degree at the University of
Derby. She says: "My hope is that people will visit the Museum and Art
Gallery on a regular basis to see the changes that may happen during the three
months that the exhibition will be on."
