Alison Turnbull
17 September - 20 November 2005
Exhibition Related Events
ArtSway is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Alison Turnbull, who was artist in residence at ArtSway in May and June of this year. This exhibition brings together paintings from her recent series, World in a Chamber (2005), a pictorial investigation into the idea of the botanic garden, and new work developed both during the residency and subsequently.
For some years, Turnbull's work has dealt with the varied ways in which we conceive and transform the spaces we inhabit, fusing the representational with the abstract. Previous exhibitions, such as Houses into Flats (2001) and Hospital (2003) have consisted of paintings that take the language of architectural representation - plans, sections and elevations - as generative starting points. These found drawings are then transformed by colour and by the very specific physical activities that activate the painted surface.
In 2002 Turnbull had a Fine Arts Scholarship at the British School at Rome, where she became intrigued by the city's botanic garden. This led to research into what the artist describes as 'architecture as applied to gardens'. In the process Turnbull travelled to botanical gardens in five European cities: Padua, Leiden, Paris, Uppsala and Oxford and examined how plant collections are organised, and how this organisation is dependent on drawing and other forms of coding. The work that resulted was shown in Oxford as World in a Chamber. The series now culminates in a painting that takes its inspiration from the artist's visits to Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight, during her residency at ArtSway. Derived from two found drawings of the site; one, a guide to the present day garden, overlaid onto the other, a plan of the 19th Century hospital that previously occupied the site; the painting incorporates lines and blocks of luminous colour floated on a neutral ground, anchored by fine lines of graphite.
For her exhibition at ArtSway Turnbull will also be showing Black Borders a new series of works on paper. At the botanic garden in Oxford there is a planting scheme, known as the 'Black borders', that contains exclusively black, or almost black, plants. Turnbull takes the notion of the black border as the lucid point of departure for a group of meticulous and intensely worked drawings.
Alison Turnbull was born in Bogota, Columbia and studied in Spain and Britain. Recent exhibitions include Houses into Flats (Milton Keynes Gallery 2000; Cube, Manchester 2001 and Modern Art Oxford 2001), Hospital (Matt's Gallery 2003), World in a Chamber (Said Business School, University of Oxford 2004) commissioned by the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford and the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, and Black Borders (Galeria Magda Bellotti, Madrid 2005). In 2002 Turnbull undertook a Fine Arts Scholarship at the British School in Rome. Her book The Family Beds was published by the University of Oxford earlier this year. She lives and works in London and is represented by Matts Gallery, London.
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Exhibition Related Events
Saturday 8 October 2005 at 2pm:
Alison Turnbull will be in conversation with writer Philip Hoare, who has written critical texts about her work and recently published England's Lost Eden (Fourth Estate, 2005) about the New Forest Shakers. FREE
Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 7-9pm:
Informal evening talk about Access and Visual Impairment. Allison Turnbull and art consultant Les Buckingham will discuss ways in which visual impairment is, and is not, a barrier to the appreciation of visual art, considering how art galleries can facilitate access for visually impaired audiences. They will also consider how the skills and perceptions of blind and partially sighted people can bring to bear on the appreciation of visual art and how the specific use of faculties like touch, verbal description and imagination effect the appreciation and understanding of visual arts. All are welcome to join us in considering these important and difficult issues! FREE
Saturday 15 October 2005, 10.30am - 11.30am:
'Pre-school Picassos' workshop for pre-school children aged 3-5 years old and their parents or carers. COST: £4 per child.
Saturday 15 October 2005, 11am - 5pm:
The Autumn Garden drawing workshop for adults taking place in Exbury Gardens and inspired by the works of Alison Turnbull. Part of The Big Draw. COST: £30 (including materials)
Sunday 16 October 2005, 11am - 3pm:
Drawing Power! workshop for children aged 5-11 years old with artist Marcia Hull. Come and explore ArtSway's grounds, and make fun drawings with all sorts of materials! Part of The Big Draw. COST: £10
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