Spotlight on Artist Studio exhibition

Associate Artist Alice Dansey-Wright recently opened a new solo exhibition Artist Studio at Platform, which explores the different approaches to working with the Platform community and features a series of new paintings and sculpture.

Artist Studio is a culmination of this journey, celebrating all aspects of work created with Platform young people and adults. The title, Artist Studio, comes from a project which Alice designed whilst working online with the groups, responding to the ongoing limitations and impact that Covid-19 had on our lives, exploring ideas and concepts of an artist studio, in particular, how one can be established at home.

Over the last 5 years Alice has been an associate artist working with Platform, online and in person, looking at different approaches to working with Platform's Taking Part groups, whilst exploring where fine art meets craft and design in her own practice.

At Platform, a key focus is to find ways to bring people and artists together and Artist Studio shares and celebrates this journey. We are also delighted to have a new text response by Rhona Warwick Paterson accompanying the exhibition.The exhibition features site-specific artworks located across The Bridge where fine art meets craft and features new large-scale paintings which specifically take inspiration from the materials and set up within The Den – a Platform studio for people to be creative. There are also several smaller paintings with the same theme and a gentle nod to the technique of 'trompe l'oeil'.  

Additionally, the exhibition features a collection of miniature sculptures inspired by the idea of a dream artist studio. These relate to the Artist studio project which Alice created and led as a series of online sessions during lockdown with our teens art group Nu Gen.

There are also designed vinyls displayed on windows within The Bridge and a large-scale wall mural created by the Nu Gen group – which was inspired by ‘art of doodling’ with the group collaboratively designing and painting the mural by hand.

Alice said: “Artist Studio is in many ways the culmination of working with the community at Platform for several years, but it also refers to a project that started in lockdown. This project explored the concept of the ‘Artist Studio’ and how we could dream about and access that without the actual bricks and mortar of such a space. In some cases, the ‘studio’ was and is a headspace or state of mind and in others a corner of a bedroom or a kitchen tabletop.

“The exhibition shows new work my me but also has some spaces for work created by members of Platform’s Nu Gen and Art Factory groups. The exhibition is site-specific and aims to be playful and immersive. Notions of scale are played with as well as collaboration, tricks of the eye and dreaming.”

Platform’s Arts & Communities Lead Margaret McCormick said: “We are delighted to host an exhibition of new work by Alice and explore the artwork that she has developed in her distinctive style of bold line, shape and colour and her careful approach bringing together artworks with the groups of people from Platform.

Platform is a place where we bring artists and people together, an opportunity to create time and space to enjoy drawing, painting, making, sculpture and to learn new ways of seeing and experiencing together. Recently, we had to all rethink how we experience art together and it feels really poignant to explore the idea of an artist studio being a place where we can go – in person or imaginary.”

The exhibition is free and is on at Platform, The Bridge, until from Saturday 9 July until Sat 10 September 2022. Exhibition opening times: Mon 10am–5pm, Tues 10am–8pm, Wed 10am–5pm, Thu 10am–8pm, Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm, closed Sundays.

Images: Ciorstaidh Monk.