Wish you were here
Tonight illustrator Gresty unveils the results of his Wish You Were Here exhibition.
The title is a loose brief put to 22 artists asked to interpret the theme broadly, rather than, says Gresty, answering it literally – ‘Sat in your chair with the lights off and your favourite record on, deep in a jungle or the sea surrounded by wildlife, or face deep in your granny’s cooking.’
His own piece is about the exhibition itself – a typographic work made to glow in the dark, giving a neon sign effect.
‘You are here’, it remarks with exclamation, suggesting that, says Gresty, ‘turning up is a positive’ – and therefore it is implicit that everyone else should be here, presumably, or at least that you wished they were here, or something.
Stephen Loya, who works in ‘realistic, playful watercolours’ has made a typographic invitation to monsters and aliens, which he hopes to be joined by.
Behrad Taherparvar & James Ritchie have created a marbling piece, made in an enormous marbling bath which reads Sing Me a Rainbow, Steal Me A Dream.
There’s an evocative piece by Daniel Buckley, painstakingly composed and carrying a rich narrative which has been formed from mudlarked objects found on the banks of the Thames.
‘Old boatmen on the Thames used to throw away disposable pipes,’ says Gresty who talks about their ‘pipe dreams’ and ‘where your thoughts go when you’re smoking,’ adding, ‘he’s collected all those dreams.’
Photographer Eleanor Leonne Bennett’s has donated a double-exposure photograph showing how she sees London as a non-Londoner. The shop window gives a double reflection, captures two London signifiers and a second figure appearing to take her photo. What’s more, she’s winning photography competitions at the age of fifteen.
Wish You Were Here is showing from 14 October – 13 November at The George Orwell free house on 382 Essex Road, Islington, London, N1
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