Grayson's Art Club has been one of the joys of the whole Covid lockdown experience. Grayson and Philippa are warm and generous hosts without any of the snobby airs and graces which exclude many people. Over three series they displayed some incredibly personal and moving stories encapsulated in art works by professional artists, celebrities and members of the public who are motivated to create something. At Midlands Art Centre in Birmingham the 2022 show is on display until April 2023 and it is a wonderful and uplifting display.
One thing I really like about it is that it is completely democratic. The work by Grayson, Philippa and the celebrities is scattered amongst all the other work without special treatment and it doesn't shine out in the way you may expect in this context. This is a tribute to the curatorship because the images are even more striking and meaningful up close compared to seeing them on television.
Variety is amazing. Not much abstract art but a wide variety of media and styles all tied to the themes chosen in the Art Club weekly schedule. There are 'conventional' paintings such as this beautifully observed oil painting 'Apple Day' by Angie Tonge. However this is an exhibition for leaning in and reading the cards alongside the paintings and understanding the backstory behind each work. Professional artists must struggle to generate the passion for each work compared to these outsiders who in some cases have used these as therapy and very personal expression.
Few pieces exhibit this more than 'Peirksi Reach For The Sky' by Andy Morris. This is an interesting object in its own right - a quirky barstool but so much more. The creator's son Peter worked in a foundry and cast his own hands in aluminium and feet in iron. Tragically he committed suicide in 2016 and Andy has only recently been able to complete this using Peter's artwork. I find this incredible - a beautiful and thought provoking thing to look at but so much more. As a parent you can't help but think about what it took to even be able to look at the components never mind begin to work on them. The triumph is to reconcile enough to create a tribute, display it and share the story.
I loved this piece too by Emma Digerud-White. I'd like this image in any gallery and I'd want to construct a narrative around it but the story in the card is wonderful. A human being who has problems with their own self-image and not wanting to pass it on to their child - all conveyed on a roughly A4 piece of paper in mixed media!
This is an emotional, not a sad, show though. This is not about wallowing in self-pity; it is about triumphing against adversity on a human scale and with issues that we can all relate to - probably the thing that appeals about Grayson's Art Club on TV. It's not about art - its about people.
There are plenty of images ot make you smile
These fabulous models of Manchester women of the 50s and 60s is superbly observed. for people of my age they are the women of our childhood - outwardly stern-looking, a strange 'uniform' of tweed and housecoats, handbags, horn-rimmed glasses and sensible shoes. I had so many neighbour 'aunties' of this type and seeing these figures makes the memories flow back
There were tributes to Queen Elizabeth II too but created for her Jubilee and its nice to see them in the context of her death too.
I've seen enough saintly images, maudlin daubs and daft cartoons with Paddington Bear
Grayson's Art Club took a different view and none finer than this work by Janine Chisholm Sullivan called 'Chin Chin'. She created an image of theQueen drinking various beverages over the years - a fabulous tribute reflecting length of service and type of service with a familiarity and nod to how we all think of the elderly matriarchs on our own families.
One of the interesting features was the slightly obsessional, therapeutic 'collection' art. These are two examples - some wonderful quirky bon-bon dishes by Jaime Westwood and the spare black white and red diary by Clare Modenesi. There was also the HIV patchwork Quilt and the soap star portraits with notation that were created by Hannah Middleton. Some of this is very personal and therapeutic but makes sense as a collection and displayed as art.
The enormous knitted Sandringham by Margaret Seaman takes centre stage and this really looks amazing from all angles with lots of little details.
I could show so many more images to illustrate my point but this glass case "The Death Of Social Media" by Aasen Stephenson sumarises what I think is a unique show. This is so British in its modernisation of fusty old museum pieces, design, satire and insight
My favourite piece in the whole exhibition is this gorgeous portrait ' Sun Over The Yardarm' by Yvonne Haines. A painfully tender observation of the artist's mother at a time when the family were realising she needed more care.
The term British Culture is bandied about and misused for political and more sinister purposes these days and I sometimes wonder what it really is. Too often we rely on history, famous people, Royalty or rose-tinted stereotypes.
This exhibition demonstrates the British Culture that I am proud of - gentle, creative, multicultural and independent people dealing with the everyday and universal challenges of family, mental and physical health, age and mortality. But doing it with dignity, wit, slight understatement, personal style and ultimately ... hope.
Go see the exhibition - its one of the most uplifting things I've seen in a long time. And if you've not seen the TV show it is still on catchup on Channel 4
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