TRACES – Crit Session with Kevin Atherton
Crit sessions are a familiar feature of art schools, but are far less common in gallery settings on the Isle of Man. The Creative Network and Manx National Heritage aim to change this with a large-scale crit session led by internationally renowned Manx-born artist and long-time art tutor Kevin Atherton, taking place within the newly opened TRACES exhibition at the House of Manannan.
The exhibition brings together the work of 31 Manx artists responding to the theme Traces. The works on display were selected from an open submission by Kevin Atherton, artist Peter Davies, and Sarah Wilson-White, Head of Culture for the Isle of Man Government.
The session will offer a constructive, supportive discussion of individual works and how each contributes to the exhibition’s broad interpretation of the theme. Many of the exhibiting artists are expected to attend, and the event will provide an open forum for shared reflection and deeper engagement with the work on show.
Members of the public are warmly welcome.
Kevin Atherton is a staunchly Manx artist who has carved an international career for himself. His practice includes performance, sculpture, film and video, installation and site-specific public art, which can be found across the UK. In November 2016, one such public artwork, Platforms Piece, commissioned by British Rail in 1986 and comprising three bronze sculptures of commuters on the platforms of Brixton Station, was given listed status by Historic England. Unfortunately, Kevin’s homeland cannot yet boast one of his respected public works.
Image Caption
Kevin Atheton (left) outside the Dainty Dive, Douglas, Isle of Man, 1970. With fellow Douglas School of Art students Ian Coulson and Martin Hearne. This photo has become a starting point of a new video work which will be on show in the TRACES exhibition, Photographic Memories (one of three).
Artists from the Creative Network have come together to explore the traces we leave behind – on our island, in our environment, within our culture, and across our lives. This diverse exhibition of contemporary Manx art invites reflection on how today’s creativity becomes tomorrow’s heritage. In an ever-changing world, traces surround us – impressions left behind, memories etched in time, and marks of existence both physical and intangible. These may be found in footprints in the sand, weathered surfaces, forgotten photographs, or the unseen imprints of memory and emotion. Traces is the fourth open exhibition of work created by members of the Creative Network, a collective of around 70 artists with Manx connections.
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