Laura Green  

Knowing and Not Knowing

ArtSway Gallery 1

20 September - 16 November 2008

Preview and Reception for the Artist: Saturday 20 September 2008 at 2pm

Exciting young British artist Laura Green will exhibit an installation of new paintings and sculpture at ArtSway this autumn. Laura was the winner of ArtSway’s Open 07, and was awarded the prize of a solo exhibition in ArtSway’s Gallery 1. She was short-listed for the John Moores Prize in 2004 and 2006, a finalist in the Celeste Art Prize in 2007 and has exhibited widely both in the UK and internationally since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2004.

Her interest lies in the interpretation of her source material, often stripping away identifiable features from the objects (such as architectural drawings and found images) and places (such as buildings glimpsed around the city) she bases her paintings and sculptures on, deliberately taking them out of context. There is therefore a tension between the actuality of the sculptures (which possess a strange sense of clunky, yet sometimes elegant, minimalism) and the paintings, which allude to imagined and remembered scenarios.

Green comments, ‘the subjects of my works often appear ambiguous and alien to their surroundings, possessing a haunting sense of ‘displacement’ which suggest that they are not of this time, and raise questions of whether the objects reside in the past or in the future?’

Green’s works are concerned with notions of memory, solitude, dream, reverie and loss. Through choosing a variety of eclectic, yet often banal, materials - paint on canvas; cardboard tubes stacked one on top of the other; plaster casts of moulds; found objects and cast-off pieces of chipboard Green aims to encourage a sense of questioning in the viewer. As the artist states, ‘the works form collections of memories and experiences. My working process is concerned with the ‘wanting’ of an object - a longing to recreate the memory of the powerful impact the subjects of the work have had on me. The making of the work allows me to keep something of this powerful experience, and as a result the works are infused with a feeling of sadness and tenderness.’

Green explores our surroundings, trying to make sense of the world around her through examining and understanding disparate objects. She is interested in psychological and physical space; her work is one of constant enquiry: why do the objects she selects have such an impact on her psyche, on our collective psyche?

For more information on Laura and her work please see her website: www.lauragreen.net

Exhibition Associated Events:

Gallery Talk: Laura Green in Conversation with Peter Bonnell

Saturday 18 October 2008 at 3pm

Open 07 winner Laura Green will be in conversation in ArtSway’s Gallery 1 with Curator Peter Bonnell.  Laura will discuss her themes and ideas, and her new work for ArtSway.

FREE: Booking Essential.

Portfolio Day: Friday 7 November 2008, 10am - 4pm

Ten half-hour slots for artists from all backgrounds for critiques, portfolio reviews and career advice with Director Mark Segal and Curator Peter Bonnell.

COST: £5 per person. Booking Essential.

To book a place on any of the above events please contact Jack Lewis on 01590 682260 (ext.16) or email: jack.lewis@artsway.org.uk

Laura Green’s ArtSway exhibition is sponsored by Lashmars of Lymington. Lashmars, sponsors of the ArtSway Open, have contributed funds to assist Laura Green with her solo exhibition. For more details about Lashmars see www.lashmars.co.uk