About
The Pod and its arts collective, Collective//Pod, present new textile work by UK based artist, Anthony Stevens at the CCCA, Fargo Village. Anthony is a self-taught artist who uses his work as a form of therapy and self expression.
Recent shows include Common Threads, Joint Exhibition (commissioned) 2017; House Biennial, Phoenix Gallery, Brighton, 2017; Nothing Is Wasted, Solo Exhibition, Zollhauser Rodenas, Rodenas, North Germany 2017; Black Holes and Black Friday (2 but not 2) Solo Exhibition, Galerie Art Cru, Berlin 2017.
When not producing art, he also works as a Peer Support Specialist and engages in Buddhist culture and peace activities. Primarily, his work is about expressing and processing trauma and its after effects.
Anthony explains, “I guess it's me dancing with my inner dynamics so that I can find a rhythm that is both constructive and wonderful.”
Anthony’s work is heavily influenced by his practise of Nichiren Buddhism, especially the concept of 'Nothing is wasted'. This is reflected in the fact that he chooses to work primarily with scrap fabrics. By choosing to do this, he is forced to look creatively and perceive potential in what may seem to be useless and beyond repair.
Anthony will also be resident for five days in the studio at the Pod’s new home, 31 Far Gosford Street from Monday16th – Friday 20th April. During this time he will host an open studio daily, inviting people to pop in and chat while he works on making a unique, stitched zine to add to Coventry’s first zine library, housed at the Pod Café.
Anthony is keen to add elements of Coventry to the work, so invites people to donate precious, small pieces of fabric and thread to the Pod during the weeks running up to his residency.
As part of the exhibition opening night, The Pod, in collaboration with ‘Room Art’ is also excited to present special guest, Daniel Blanco Albert who will perform a new trumpet composition at 6pm.
Daniel is a composer based in Birmingham finishing his Masters in Composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, granted by a Leverhulme Trust Arts Scholarship. He is a graduate in Composition at the same institution and at Valencia Conservatoire where he also studies Trumpet Performance. Daniel performed last year at The Pod’s Scratch the Surface – DIALOGUE mental health arts festival in collaboration with Birmingham’s ‘Room Art’ as part of ‘Incidental’.
