Phill Hopkins Residency at BasementArtsProject Liverpool – Preview

Phill Hopkins begins a residency 26 September at BasementArtsProject in Leeds. New work from this residency will then be included in ‘Inhospitable’ as part of the Liverpool Biennial. ‘We all need to see people reach beyond what looks possible and make it happen’ – Gil Scott Heron.

The mission of BasementArtsProject is to create a permanent ARTIST LED and ideologically neutral space that gives artists control over ways in which their work can be experienced.BasementArtsProject is, at present, a temporary art space in the basement of a terraced house.
In its current state, it is open for events of a singular nature, whether it be gigs, performances, film screenings exhibitions or workshops; this we hope to change over time! – Bruce Davies – Curator

Phill Hopkins a popular ArtLyst artist, says at the start of his residency; “BasementArtsProject is in the basement of a family house in Beeston, south Leeds. Beeston is the place where some of the ‘London Bombers’ lived.The space itself is very challenging; it is stark and silent in contrast to the busy house above. Whatever one does is immediately apparent and visible. Like my work the basement does not seem to have an ‘agenda’, it is a simple statement of fact. It is an environment for simply presenting things. I plan to use the floor, walls and ceiling, drawing directly onto the surfaces, some rough and some smooth. I hope to make sculpture too, possibly from materials found on my journey to the house. As a starting and reference point I will be using a simple rectangle measuring 87 x 47 cm; this is the shape of a shelf in a vitrine that I will be using in the Liverpool Biennial. To begin with, perhaps as a way of greeting the space, using a template I will make a simple chalk outline of the rectangle, and then I’ll begin…I will work very quickly using ideas from stemming from drawings I made in response to the UK riots of last year and the Parisian riots of 1848.

Phill Hopkins on his practise “Drawing is central to me. Not only is it at the core of my practise as an artist, but, possibly more importantly, it allows me to be tethered to and in the world. Moreover, these two areas are in fact one and the same. I draw obsessively; sometimes having an idea to get down on paper and at other times drawing for the pleasure (or displeasure) it brings. Drawing is immediate, sometimes dealing with narrative and at other times devoid of story. Drawing allows ideas to come into being; the channel from imagination to reality. Sculpture comes directly from drawing; seldom do I make without drawing. I use materials and images in a similar way; that is, I buy, acquire or find; self-sufficiency in the place where I live or the places I travel through and to.

The image of the house, which features heavily in some of my work, is a simple statement of fact; that is, it does not put forward an argument or agenda, but rather it presents information. However, it may also act or function tacitly, making implicit arguments or statements, using a variety of means to influence the viewer. It resonates with the building up and the dismantling of my inner and the external environment. I am drawn to the feel of the house shape, that is, the porosity of its external and inner surfaces and its susceptibility which allows me to imbue it with happenings, both physical to me and directly linked to my imagination. The house is often blank or even ‘speechless’ and may act as an emissary; an object that discloses information, communicating knowledge of itself or something beyond.”

‘Inhospitable’ – Bringing back to the UK, a Stockholm experience. SCIBase are a collaborative project between Merseyside based SCI and BasementArtsProject, Leeds. This exhibition at The Bridewell is entitled Inhospitable – a response to the Bridewell’s former use as a police station.
The exhibition features the work of 17 artists, including Phill Hopkins. All of the artists were involved in SUPERMARKET the Stockholm art fair, earlier this year, but will produce new work for this exhibition.

2 – 15 October 2012 – Open daily, 1100 – 1600 Private View: Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 1830 – 2030 Closing Event: Sunday, 14 October 2012, 1530 – 1830 Bridewell Studios and Gallery, 101 Prescot Street, Liverpool L7 8UL

 Image: Phill Hopkins Notebook page 24:09:12

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