Afternoon Tea: Works on Paper

About

‘Afternoon Tea: Works on Paper’ is a stiff-upper-lip and tongue-in-cheek addition to the ‘Making a Change’ Margate festival theme, addressing issues of place, community, activism, inclusivity and referencing current politics (‘Tea Party’ politics can be defined as the interests of the ultra-elite cleverly repackaged as the interests of the common people). What better way to celebrate or mourn the results of the General Election than by burying your head in the proverbial sand, scoffing cakes, quaffing tea and perusing fine art.

In this new media age, working on paper still underpins the practice of most contemporary artists and the immediacy of marks on paper lends itself to an honest and direct outpouring of thoughts, ideas, plans and dreams, offering an intimate exchange between artist and viewer. The works in this exhibition are free from a common theme and instead simply reflect the current spectrum of small-scale works on paper, where image and text are expressed in their most vivid and vital form.

The exhibition will turn a private residence on the Margate Parade into a temporary gallery of works on paper, accompanied by intimate afternoon tea sittings held under the spell of some of the most stunning views in Margate.

The local artist community is invited to contribute works on paper and local audiences are invited to engage in this experience, which was last held to great acclaim at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011. A ‘Meet the Makers’ event on 14 July will aim to further bring together artists and new audiences with a lively discussion.

NOTES TO EDITORS
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Brief description: ‘Afternoon Tea: Works on Paper’ is a pop-up tea salon and exhibition of works on paper by local artists 8 – 16 July 2017 as part of Margate Festival.
Venue: Chiara Williams Contemporary Art, 4 Royal York Mansions, The Parade, Margate CT9 1EZ
Opening times: 2-5pm on weekend 8-9 and 15-16 July (at other times by appointment only). 
Cost: Free entry to the exhibition, but booking required (space & seating limited); visitors will be asked to contribute discretionary £1 per head towards tea & cake (free for those on very low income or unemployed).
Book: To reserve an afternoon tea sitting: afternoonteasalon@gmail.com or +447519646508
Special events: Launch event drinks (by invitation) on 8th July 6-9pm; Meet the makers: Fri 14th July 7-9pm – introductory talk from Chiara Williams and group discussion with artists and visitors.
Sales: All works are for sale, from as little as £50 to a maximum of £200.
Artists & curator: ‘Afternoon Tea’ is curated by Chiara Williams and brings together numerous emerging and established artists from Margate, Thanet and Kent, participating artists to be confirmed.
For more information: please contact Chiara Williams at chiarawilliamscontemporary@gmail.com / www.chiarawilliams.com