Thursday 17 May 2012

Ghost Club Talk


I'm honoured to be talking about the GHost project at what may well be the oldest psychical research organisation in the world -   The Ghost Club


from 2pm - 3pm
at
Victory Services Club


63-79 Seymour Street
London W2 2HF


"Guest, Hosts and Ghosts and How to Make Them"
 Sarah Sparkes is an artist and curator.  She is currently an affiliated fellow at the University of London where she runs the creative research project:  "GHost" 
 As a visual arts and creative research project GHost  takes on and explores the conceit of guests, hosts and ghosts, both metaphorically and practically, in its activities.  Functioning in its capacity as a supporting platform (or host) GHost aims to enable invited guests to visually and conceptually manifest and interrogate the idea of the ghost. The project has had two central strands: a consideration of the relevance of ghosts in contemporary culture, centred around a programme of interdisciplinary seminars – so-called Hostings – held in Senate House at the University of London; and a series of exhibitions, screenings and performances designed to make manifest and, by extension, examine the aesthetics of ghosts and haunted spaces held primarily at St John on Bethnal Green, London.
This talk will feature images, recordings and short films documenting the various activities of GHosts exhibitions and Hostings as well as its off-shoot project The Ghosts of Senate House. 

Tuesday 15 May 2012

400 Women in Amsterdam


Detail of my painting of Maria de la Luz  for 400 Women

400 Women - now in the Sugar Factory in Amsterdam

Details for 400 Women in it's new site-specific space in Holland: Sugar City is a disused factory just outside Amsterdam.

Preview - 3rd May. 
Exhib. runs from the 4-17th May.
Sugar City Haarlemmerstraatweg 7, 1165 MJ Halfweg.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 12.00 – 17.00 hours, or by appointment.
The Sugar Factory in Amsterdam shows an exhibition of portraits of 400 women who have been murdered in the Mexican city Ciudad Juárez during the past 20 years. The British artist Tamsyn Challenger asked 200 international artists to draw portraits of each of these women, based on photos. According to Radio Netherlands Wordwide, "there is no satisfactory explanation for why such a large number of women are murdered in the Mexican city. The majority of victims are students and factory workers of 15 to 25 years old. In most cases, there are signs of sexual violence, abuse or torture."
The exibition is on from May 3-16.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

On Spiritualism

Never Afraid - the mission Sarah Sparkes, mixed media 1995 - 2012

On Spiritualism' exhibition / events

'On Spiritualism'
Swedenborg, Spirit and Art
 MAY 2012
EXHIBITION

artists exhibiting -
CALUM F. KERR - VOGELFORD - KEVIN QUIGLEY - MARTIN SEXTON
MARIANNE WALKER - NICHOLAS JOHNSON - SARAH SPARKES
curated by Kevin Quigley


Swedenborg said that all life has correspondence between spiritual and natural things and these are extended to all objects in the physical world.
"Light corresponds to wisdom because wisdom enlightens the mind as light enlightens the eye. Warmth corresponds to love because love warms the mind as heat does the body"
.......but SPIRIT is a questionable 'thing' / the invisible in-between / the quantum strata / the creativity force / divination / divine guidance / essence of life / punch drunk / omnipresent being / nothingness.....
On Spiritualism exhibit and series of events doesn't set out give an definition to what is SPIRIT - but rather wants to open up a dialogue to question the idea of Spirit and Spiritualism.
Our diverse group of artists / speakers / performers have a wide range of analytical self-reflective approaches to SPIRITUALISM; they have produced works / ideas and expressions within in the metaphysical / anthropological / philosophical / analytical / anthroposophical approaches - all these approaches do hold a common bond where they are looking at the profound idea and thoughts of the identity of self, reality and the world around us.


'On Spiritualism'
@ Apiary Studios
3 May 2012
exhibition/live performances

www.apiarystudios.org

6pm - 9pm