Skinflint

About

The current economic climate has highlighted a disturbing trend for an outlandish decadence in approaches to art making, which can have the unsettling side effect of encouraging a 'lazy eye' in both artist and viewer. This exhibition turns the focus on artists working on the other end of the material spectrum, to those who deliberately employ meagre means in their practice. Despite the ever-increasing material and technological means at our disposal, artists are repeatedly drawn back to low rent materials, especially in sculptural practice. The exhibiting artists' reasons for their material choices are as varied as the results, harnessing the potential of lo-fi quotidian materials from comic value to unexpected grace. Often these choices allow them to take a more experimental approach to their work without the added weight of more valuable materials, extracting the often negative element of preciousness that can hamper further investigation. There is a general consensus among these artists that the physical presence of a work is as important as the image rendered and the use of lo-fi materials lends itself particularly well to this end. Although these artists are drawn to materials for their physical properties, by working with low cost and acquired items they are also well positioned to continue to develop their practice without compromise, in these uncertain economic times. Contact: Rachel Price Co-curator: Catherine Bagg E: skinflint.exhibition@gmail.com T: 07877 320 742