Ministry of Arts Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Miss Bugs - MoA Bonus Episode 15 Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

In this bonus episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Miss Bugs (@miss_bugs)

Miss Bugs was founded in the early part of 2007, originally coming from a background in photography and graphics. Working in partnership, they developed fast, spontaneous working methods, cutting and pasting existing images; ‘remixing and sampling classics’ in art to make new pieces with their own mark.

Miss Bugs began in the early days making small scale works on paper, using screen printing with hand painted elements. They then scaled the work up, making life size cut outs of characters to place in situ on the streets of London. These were left in place to become part of the cityscape and recorded through photography.

Their most recent work includes larger scale pieces, incorporating laser cut planes of wood, hundreds of small component objects and poured resin. These pieces are time consuming and labour intensive, and a long way from the quickly constructed art pieces of the early days. Miss Bugs has always taken a broad and varied approach to creating work. The combining of materials and objects, alongside the way contemporary imagery can be collaged together, either by hand, through photography, or using a digital process is important.

The focus of the work has always been the human form; as Miss Bugs’ interest lies in developing ‘characters’ to tell a story. Archetypal imagery from magazines, art history and films are used as a starting point, which are then cut, overlaid and distorted to produce character portraits with an arresting graphic look. The influence of collage artists like Hannah Höch can clearly be seen in the work. The layering and placing of colour and pattern is also intrinsic to the work, and is very much a hands on element for Miss Bugs in the construction of the final pieces.

For your own Miss Bugs capsule/tablet go to: https://jealousgallery.com

P.S - Thank you to @jobrookspr for the introduction

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

If you would like to promote your work, exhibition or any other creative project, please contact us at:

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Ep.187 Jonathan Parsons - Ministry of Arts Podcast Aug 22, 2022

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In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Jonathan Parsons (@artistjaypee)

Jonathan Parsons’ work is an enquiry into the systems and structures of art and the everyday world. His paintings are a mindful reversal of their own convention, relating traditional modes of representation to issues of contemporary relevance.

He is a graduate of Goldsmiths College and has exhibited internationally. He featured in Sensation, the seminal 1997 Royal Academy of Arts exhibition. In 2007 he was shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize.

His current exhibition ‘The Black Drawings’ is on at The Bunker Gallery, Isle of Wight 26-29 August 2022 11.oo-16.00 daily.

For more information on the work of Jonathan Parsons go to

http://www.jonathanparsons.com/

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

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Ep.186 Adam Brigland - Ministry of Arts Podcast Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Adam Brigland (@adam_bridgland)

Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2006, Bridgland has used a diverse range of materials and working methods to pursue an incisive and often witty exploration of distinctively British sentiments, externalising the underlying sense of loss and nostalgia that permeates our memories. Vignettes of British back-packer’s holidays, old-fashioned bus-tours, and childhood seaside breaks that figure strongly in his visual repertoire are often tinged with this feeling of time having passed too quickly, our memories gradually fading. Twinned with this however, is an upbeat celebration of themes distilled from children’s colouring books, paint-by-numbers kits, old public transport posters and kitsch postcards, which he imbues with the kaleidoscopic richness of carefully chosen and thickly applied primary colours. These everyday, almost mundane subjects are treated with the importance and status of emblems; centred in each work and often encapsulated within related text or target-like circular borders that focus our gaze.

Whether descriptive of change or constancy, Bridgland’s work keys into our desire to remember and relive, and plays upon our tendency to elevate our shared memories with the rose-tinted, wistful spectacles we don when thinking of the past, as well as the future. His depictions of identity and belonging, nostalgia and emotion give to his work a hugely personal aspect, and are influenced by a graphic and visual tradition that is quite specific to Britain. Yet his subtle combinations of image and related text play on everyone’s perceptions of shared occasions. Perhaps then it is the delicately précised power of the experiences he attempts to capture that make Bridgland’s work so accessible to all.

Text by Matthew Reeves, Independent Curator and Curator of East Wing Nine at the Courtauld Institute of the Arts.

For more information on the work of Adam Brigland go to

https://adambridgland.co.uk

Kensington + Chelsea Art Week (KCAW) is delighted to present its fifth annual Public Art Trail. West London will be brought to life with vibrant and immersive public art, free for all to enjoy for the duration of the summer.

For more information on the Kensington + Chelsea Art Weekgo to

https:// www.kcaw.co.uk | @kcawlondon

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Böhm – MoA Bonus Episode 14 Aug 14, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to David Böhm (@davidbohm1)

David Böhm & Jiří Franta

The leading Czech artists David Böhm and Jiří Franta, an artistic duo since 2006, explore in their work the relation between drawing, performance and conceptual art. Known for drawing and painting on walls in galleries as well as in public spaces, Böhm and Franta present their distinctive perception of the world – their views on society, politics, the art scene, and mass media as well as their own feelings. In their “illustrations,” they often play with multiple meaning and irony, commenting on the life of the human community. They were finalists for the Jindřich Chalupecký Award, the top Czech award for visual artists up to the age of 35, in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and have received multiple awards for their books, the most recent one being the Illustrator of the Year Award at the Czech Grand Designs 2022 for their book City for Everyone; A Manual of Urbanism for Beginners.

Organized by the Czech Centre London and LUSTR Festival of Illustration, Prague, the largest illustration exhibition in the Czech Republic.

In collaboration with the Kensington + Chelsea Art Week and the London Festival of Architecture. Supported by the Czech Embassy in London.

For more information on the Kensington + Chelsea Art Weekgo to

https:// www.kcaw.co.uk | @kcawlondon

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Konstantin Benkovich – MoA Bonus Episode 13 Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Konstantin Benkovich (@benkovich)

Artworks of Benkovich are in the permanent museum collections and in many private collections around the globe. Together with Pussy Riot and a number of other well-known Russian artists, he participated in the group exhibition “Russian Post-Soviet Actionism” at the Saatchi Art Gallery in London in 2017, various public projects worldwide, exhibitions in the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow (2021) and the exhibition “Millennials in Contemporary Russian Art” running today in the Russian State Museum in Saint-Petersburg.

His works deal with freedom and unfreedom through the symbols and materiality of his sculptures.

The reconsidered, reinvented symbols turn into new – critical, political, desacralized ones.

The most dominant material in his works are steel bars which he cuts and welds into grids. The rebar and steel in Russia is the synonym of unfreedom. The rebar is an absolute symbol of aggression.

(Text via https://corridorcontemporary.com)

Opening on 18 June, the Public Art Trail will feature world-class sculpture, installations and exhibits throughout the borough. Presented across nine zones, the Art Trail will take up residence at some of West London’s most beautiful and iconic sites, including Napoleon Garden in Holland Park, Sloane Street, Duke of York Square, Royal Avenue, Pavilion Road, Earl’s Court, Notting Hill Gate, Kensington Memorial Park, Brompton Cemetery Chapel, and High Street Kensington.

For more information on the Kensington + Chelsea Art Weekgo to

https:// www.kcaw.co.uk | @kcawlondon

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep.185 Tabish Khan - Ministry of Arts Podcast Aug 07, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Tabish Khan (@londonartcritic)

Tabish Khan is an art critic specialising in London's art scene and he believes passionately in making art accessible to everyone. He visits and writes about hundreds of exhibitions a year covering everything from the major blockbusters to the emerging art scene.

Tabish has been visual arts editor for Londonist since 2013. Contributions include reviews, previews, news, experiences and opinion pieces.

He is also a regular contributor for FAD with a weekly top exhibitions to see in London and a column called 'What's wrong with art'.

Tabish is a trustee of ArtCan, a non-profit arts organisation that supports artists through profile raising activities and exhibitions

He is available for interviews, radio and television appearances, to comment on exhibitions and the latest art news.

While art is Tabish's primary focus, he has written about film, theatre, food and many other experiences in London.

For more information on Tabish Khan go to

http://www.tabish-khan.com/

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Azarra Amoy - MoA Bonus Episode 12 Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Azarra Amoy (@azarraamoy)

Of Jamaican and Trinidadian descent, Azarra Amoy, is a graduate from University of the Arts London and holds a foundation degree in Graphic Design and a Bachelor’s Degree in Magazine Publishing.

She is a visual thinker and her practice can be defined in three strands; Artist, Designer and Creative Strategist which overlaps allowing Amoy to bring her design led ideas,concepts and solutions to a variety of creative scenarios; from bringing art to local communities in public spaces - to -helping brands enhance and cultivate stories and messages for their audiences, Azarra Amoy is a true creative pioneer contributing and delivering great ideas in every step of the design process.

Amoy is passionate about bringing art to different audiences; and produces public art installations in the form of murals working for the architect firm Squires and Partners, Kensington and Chelsea Artweek, Notting Hill Carnival and Hammersmith to realise these ideas. She has received commissions from Adidas x Size and Big Creative Education, in all instances, Amoy has used personal stories, local histories and the built environmental landscape to inform the artwork design. Her striking visual narrative draws references from culture, community, hope and power.

For more information on the Kensington + Chelsea Art Weekgo to

https:// www.kcaw.co.uk | @kcawlondon

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep.184 Hypha Studios - Ministry of Arts Podcast Jul 31, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Hypha Studios (@hyphastudios)

Hypha Studios is a charity matching creatives with empty spaces & regenerating the high street with cultural hubs & events for local communities.

By providing free studios & project space we act as an incubator for creatives to test new ideas without financial obstacles. We provide opportunities to those who might not be able to access space, support or visibility.

In return for the free space, creatives organise public events, supporting the locality & benefiting the high street.

For more information on the work of Hypha Studios go to

https://hyphastudios.com

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

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Ep.183 Sokari Douglas Camp CBE - Ministry of Arts Podcast Jul 24, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Sokari Douglas Camp CBE (@sokaridouglascamp)

Sokari Douglas Camp was born in Buguma, Rivers State, Nigeria. She studied fine art at Central School of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. Sokari has represented Britain and Nigeria in National exhibitions and has had more than 40 solo shows worldwide. In venues such as National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute 1988-89, the Museum of Mankind, London 1994/5.

Sokari works intuitively and on her own, she draws ideas and works on the scale suggested by her drawings. Works vary in size from 30cm to 5 meters and more depending on the project. She is interested in movement, clothing, Kalabari culture, theatre and the environment.

For more information on the Kensington + Chelsea Art Weekgo to

https:// www.kcaw.co.uk | @kcawlondon

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep.182 Richard Mackness - Ministry of Arts Podcast Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Gary Mansfield speaks to Richard Mackness (@richardmackness)

Richard Mackness is a contemporary artist, working primarily in sculpture. His work often deals with dualities such as Synthetic / Evolved, Earthly / Divine, Priceless / Worthless and is characterised by expressive form and precise handling of materials.

Exhibitions include group shows at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (‘Clay Sculpture’), the Ikon gallery (Imagination’) and at galleries in London, New York and Germany.

For more information on the Kensington + Chelsea Art Weekgo to

https:// www.kcaw.co.uk | @kcawlondon

To Support this podcast from as little as £3 per month: www.patreon/ministryofarts

For full line up of confirmed artists go to https://www.ministryofarts.org

Email: ministryofartsorg@gmail.com

Social Media: @ministryofartsorg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.