#159 Members’ Show 2022
OUTPOST Members’ Show selected by Amartey Golding.
opening night: 25 August 6-9pm All welcome!
26 August - 2 October, Thursday to Sunday, 12-6pm
Amanda Loomes | Amy M Ho | Jay Potrykus | Natasha MacVoy | Noel Hensey
A conversation between Lucy McNeill and Amartey Golding
Lucy McNeill (LM): What did you think of the OUTPOST archive?
Amartey Golding (AG): Initially I was a little bit overwhelmed; there is a lot of material in the archive, but it was enlightening to see how another person looking at your work receives it. I am an artist, and this is the first time I have curated an exhibition of work that is not my own. What was exciting and revealing to me was what pieces stuck out and what didn’t. It was easy to make my first short list, but very hard to do the final selection. I had to be a bit zen master and strip everything away and ask what speaks to me. I feel each one of the five artists I selected could easily be shown as a solo artist. Each piece I selected could hold the space on their own in the gallery. There are some strong artists who didn’t make it because I couldn’t see how the show would come together with their works. This curation process has made me feel better about not being selected for exhibitions because it is not only whether the piece is good or not, but also whether the piece fits in the relevant space and / or exhibition.
LM: Did you know any of the artists you selected before viewing the OUTPOST Members’ Archive?
AG: I didn’t know any of the artists in the Members’ Archive so it was a clear slate when it came to the selection. It is exciting that unknowingly I selected artists resident in America, Ireland, Gloucestershire, Sussex as well as East Anglia.
LM: Amanda Loomes film piece Persistent Places was the first one you selected for the Members Show. What speaks to you about her piece?
AG: I was drawn into the piece because it speaks about the hidden and invisible jobs that people do. It draws in the viewer and the viewer gets attached to the place and people shown. I want visitors to take their time, sit in the armchair and watch and enjoy her film. Amanda’s film deserves time and speaks to time.
LM: Natasha (Tash) MacVoy was selected for the Members’ Show in 2021; so to be selected for the Members’ Show 2022 shows her is relatable. You selected film work Some Times and the postcards, The message is on the back, 2022. What attracted you to Tash’s work?
AG: Tash is really present and honest that is what stuck with me. I love her work, The message is on the back, 2022. The idea of the artist being able to send you a postcard with what they are doing in the day, a spontaneous and intuitive message to you personally is such a great idea. It is so simple but so effective, intimate and generous.
LM: Noel Hensey’s Marathon not a sprint (snickers legs) brings humour to the exhibition and There Is No Spoon references popular culture. Visitors will relate to these works, won’t they?
AG: The snickers trousers and snickers bars in Marathon not a sprint (snickers legs), make the work so familiar and relatable. I am really interested in how fine art and contemporary art relate to the public. Marathon not a sprint (snickers legs) provokes a visceral response using objects that are the antithesis of what visitors would associate with fine art. Noel Hensey’s other piece, There Is No Spoon references the surrealist artist René Magritte’s painting, This is Not a Pipe, and the Matrix film; one of my all-time favourite movies.
LM: Jay Potrykus’s, Untitled (pissed pants3), 2022 brings great craftsmanship to the exhibition, doesn’t it?
AG: Jay’s piece is intimate and also a little bit slap stick. I like the fact you can see the bar stool has been used; the previous scribbles are still evident. The contradiction between the ephemeral –wetting yourself is in the moment, and it is embarrassing – and the immortalisation by preserving this moment in wood, is what makes the piece so appealing. Historically inlay was used in expensive decorative furniture. Jay’s use represents the complete opposite – here the artist uses inlay in a bar stool. Jay has combined a human act that is so personal yet the work itself plays with class and history.
LM: Is Amy M. Ho’s projected image of Arch the statement piece in the exhibition?
AG: The Arch by Amy M. Ho provides the backdrop to the whole exhibition and brings atmosphere to the gallery. The red light from the projection of Arch will provide the ambient lighting for the exhibition. Arch is a contemplative piece and an invitation to stand in an illusionary doorway – a place that a visitor can access mentally but not physically.
LM: Have you enjoyed being the curator rather than curated?
AG: Yes. This is the first time I have had this experience. I would really love to do it again. If the Members’ Show was on for a longer period of time, I would love to have rotated the artists during the lifetime of the exhibition. It has made me think about my own work again, how I use space, and how I curate my own work. I am so drawn to the simplicity of Arch and the energy it gives off. I want to incorporate that energy into my own work. I am working on a series of prints and I want to incorporate that simple energy into the prints.
image credit: Sean Hancock