Young Brits Doing Bits: 'Divergence'
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Art & Culture
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YOUNG BRITS DOING BITS: DIVERGENCE
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Words by Luc Hinson
Photograpgy by Banno
Artwork by Sam Douglas & Emily Pearman
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Divergence is an all-female exhibition set up by artist and curator Lottie MacAskill. The exhibition, hosted at the Goodness Brewery in Wood Green will be an opportunity for young women to exhibit their work, for many, for the first time. The Goodness Brewery is an active and supportive community-orientated venue and proceeds on the night will go to support local charity Solace Women's Aid. We caught up with Lottie, and some of the other artists involved ahead of its launch.
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BB: Tell us about the Divergence what can we expect to see?
LM: Divergence, the name came from the mathematical term, it comes from the idea of an atom in the centre, and all of these particles shooting off in all different directions. This is mirrored in the actual art that's going to be shown, there's no continuity, no running theme, I didn't want to tell the girls what to make, I wanted them to be free. There will be a lot of female empowerment work, pieces around the sexualisation of women. I know one of the girls is doing a really beautiful piece on her Mum, in relation to Solace Women’s Aid on her experiences of domestic abuse. There will be a lot of portraiture, a lot of the female form which is beautiful as it’s a very female-orientated event.
There’s a lot to expect, a variety of things but a strong female theme within the work, not just representations of the female form but more the empowerment of it, and touches of it. There's one girl who does sculpture and photography combined, she works with a lot of concrete matter but there’s a strong, vibrant pink streak that appears throughout it, there are small touches of femininity within it that make it so beautiful.
BB: Who are the artists involved and what was the curation process like for the exhibition?
LM: Most of the artists I knew from foundation course, it had to be people's work I knew I could connect to personally. People from my current course, my foundation and all kinds of crazy connections are involved, it's a manifestation of the six degrees of separation. I got in touch with friends and they would refer me to their friends and so on, there’s a lot of people I didn't know before, who I found through articles online. The curational side of it, is still a work in progress I want to see how the pieces will work in the space, and there are some pieces that won't come together until they're actually seen in the space. The curation won’t be in themes or names, it’s more just a natural flow to the space and how the pieces best work.
BB: So you're not filling the space with art, you're finding space that works for the art as well.
LM: That’s definitely how my mind works, I did my foundation in interior and spatial, and whenever I make work it’s spatially focused, to see not only how the work will look, but how it will work in a space.
BB: How did it come about, what was the impetuous behind it?
LM: It came from a very selfish starting point, I was freaking out I didn’t have an internship locked in, I need to have something, Capricorn energy. I need to achieve something, I felt I needed to put on an exhibition, even if it's just my own work, at first it was going to be for myself. Then I found this space and came across these people willing to give it up for free, it was such a great opportunity it didn't feel right taking up that much space for just myself so I thought I would open it up to as many girls as I could, and also help a local community based charity with it.
Everything kind of naturally flowed and naturally happened, nothing was too forced, everything kind of just fell into place. Fundamentally, I didn’t want to take this massive space for myself, it’s so difficult to get a space in London at our age without any backing, so I thought if I can get this space I better try and share it with as many people as I possibly can, that I know are as passionate as me about art.
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"FOR ME, IT'S ABOUT GIVING GIRLS AN OPPORTUNITY THEY MAY NOT HAVE HAD, OR ONE THEY MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE CONFIDENCE TO PURSUE THEMSELVES."
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BB: What do you hope to achieve through Divergence?
LM: For most of the girls, it’s the first time for them showing their work outside of education. It’s an empowerment event for those girls and for the DJs as well, 2 of the 3 female DJs we have doing sets are doing so on the night for the first time. So for me, it's about giving girls an opportunity they may not have had or they may not have had the confidence to pursue themselves, it’s about providing a stepping stone to help people, giving them the confidence and boost they need in their work. It’s nice to help these girls and give them the drive they need. Doing that and also benefiting such an important charity is such a beautiful opportunity, another goal is definitely to try and make as much money for the charity as possible.
BB: Why did you choose to partner with Solace, Womans aid?
LM: I wanted it to be a female-oriented charity, it’s such an important cause in helping women and the survivors of domestic abuse, It also had to be a local focus, there had to be a community tie and they’re all about spreading this beautiful message of holistic and empowering work. They're not only campaigning to stop abuse, but they also want to empower women and help them grown after their trauma. I’m excited to be partnering with such a great organisation, they’ll be doing a speech on the night as well.
BB: This is your first time showing outside of education right? What have you faced in organising the exhibition?
LM: I would say the main challenge has been handling the admin, helping other girls out whilst also producing my own art for the exhibition. A lot of the girls have been coming to me and we’ve been going back and forth over a lack of inspiration and staying motivated, and because I know a lot of the girls personally that personal connection is there. Keeping up the constant communication through the 16 artists, the three DJs, balancing the admin and still continuing my creativity is definitely a challenge. I love helping the other girls out but consequently, my creativity has gone to the bottom of the pile of priorities.
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Divergence is an exhibition that boasts a huge number of co-collaborators, 16 to be precise. Due to its scale, it wouldn't be fair to ask a single voice to capture the spirit and essense of the whole exhibition. So, to understand more about what's gone into Divergence we spoke to artists Alicia Quayson, Elif Yanya and Katie Lane about their work, their involvement in the exhibition and what role, if any their identity plays in shaping their artwork.
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BB: Can you briefly summarise what work you will be exhibiting at Divergence?
Alicia Quayson: The work I will be exhibiting is a street photography series taken in Accra, my hometown. The series is called 'Ghanafuo' which in my language means Ghanaian People. All of the images taken are completely candid and are an honest depiction of the everyday people I encountered on my travels.
BB: Why is this opportunity to exhibit your work important to you?
Alicia Quayson: This chance to exhibit my work is important to me because it is difficult for young female artists like myself to get opportunities to display our work physically, it can often feel like we are limited to social media or self-publishing our work online. Seeing artwork in a gallery space is a completely different experience, personally, I feel a whole new appreciation for art within an exhibition. This exhibition is extra special as I get to share the excitement with all of the other participating artists and be a part of the next generation of dynamic girls making artwork in London.
BB: How important a role does your identity play into your work practice?
Alicia Quayson: Identity plays a huge role in my practice, I have always been camera curious as a child and I fell in love with photography as a teenager. I realised that my love for it was in my family long before I was born. Whenever visiting my Grandma, she would always show my sisters and I her countless albums and photo collections, some of the photos date back to the 1970s, 50s and even the 1930s. I began the large task of digitising them in 2018. This made me realise how precious the moments that have been preserved are and its effect on me. My love for street photography has the same intention, capturing moments that can be easily overlooked or forgotten. Ghanafuo has been particularly important for me to show the Ghanaian side of my identity to the world and the people, places that make up my home. Although I was born and raised in London, It is impossible for me to describe the immense happiness and contentment I feel when I am truly home, and that is when I am in Ghana.
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"ALTHOUGH I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN LONDON, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DESCRIBE THE IMMENSE HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT I FEEL WHEN I AM TRULY HOME, AND THAT IS WHEN I AM IN GHANA. " - Alicia Quayson
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BB: Can you quickly summarise what work you will be exhibiting at Divergence?
Elif Yanya: I will be exhibiting one linocut reduction (print) and a large acrylic painting. I was inspired by the interior of my family home; looking mainly at the colour, line and shapes of objects. The focus lies on the process and the feeling that is created by the colours in the pieces.
BB: Why is this chance to exhibit your work important to you?
Elif Yanya: I think that being an artist is quite a personal and sometimes lonely process. You find yourself in your own world so it feels really good to be able to share what you have been creating with people, especially in a space where others are doing the same. It’s also special to see how my work makes others feel.
BB: How important a role does your identity play into your work practice?
Elif Yanya: My identity plays a lot into my practice, I take a lot of inspiration from my parents since their own art has always been around me. I think it’s in the colours I am drawn too and I recognise that in my own work. I have kind of been growing with it and learning throughout my life. There are also cultural aspects from my heritage that feed into my work, such as the objects depicted in my latest pieces.
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BB: Can you briefly summarise what work you will be exhibiting at Divergence?
Katie Lane: I am fascinated by materiality and how materials and objects interact with one another, resulting in me constantly observing the compositions that are created both accidentally and intentionally around me. This can be seen in the two small iPhone images that I am exhibiting in Divergence. Similarly my work comes from the play with materials and how they engage with space. This can be seen in my third piece exhibited in Divergence titled “Process”. This is a large photograph of different found objects, materials and photos I have taken. I have arranged them in the space through a process of collecting, eliminating, adding and rearranging, to see how they best interact with one another, resulting in an interesting and abstract final composition. The fact that the photo sits on concrete blocks refers back to this interest in materiality and also how a photo which is flat, can become something more sculptural in form, creating a conversation between the 2D and the 3D.
BB: Why is this opportunity to exhibit your work important to you?
Katie Lane: It will be my first time exhibiting my own work in a public space, independently from university or school and so I am really intrigued to see how strangers will view my work! It is also very important to me as I will be exhibiting amongst other very talented females. I am close friends with many of them so it makes me very happy and proud that we can all share our work in the same space whilst raising money for Solace, a women’s aid charity, which makes the chance to exhibit my work, all the more important.
How important a role does your identity play into your work practice?
Katie Lane: Identity doesn’t really have a direct role in my work due to it being more about the exploration of materials and composition. However as it is your own self initiated work, inherently your personality and interests will come through and it is interesting to identify the links between all your different pieces to see how your artistic identity and practice is growing.
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Having discussed with the artists their reasons for contributing to Divergence, their own work and identity we wanted to understand more about the values and belief behind the exhibition's curator, Lottie. We wanted to probe and understand if there were shared values running through the exhibition, and despite what its name - divergence - would suggest each of our interviewees shared a common belief, they noted that home for them, isn't about a fixed abode or even four walls and a ceiling. Home is more a sentiment, a feeling they take with them, wherever they go, inextricably tied to their work, we wanted to see if these were sentiments shared by the exhibition's curator, Lottie. The overwhelming aura of the exhibition is one of celebration and empowerment, the night itself radiated positivity, compassion and talent, although young, and this being her first exhibition Lottie oozed an assuredness that is only attainable through doing what you love, her words on home and identity below reflect everything Divergence embodied.
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BB: What does Home mean to you?
LM: Home, definitely right here where I am right now, the studio in the basement of my mum's house which I've lived in all my life. When I think of home I don't think of the area where I live, but when I come into my house, I go down to my basement and it’s instantly an oasis of calm. I went away for 10 days recently, and I was itching to get back into here, it inspires me so much I’ve got a wall of all the pictures I've taken over the last few months, it's such a blessing I have this space, it's definitely what I call home.
When I go back to Uni, my home won't be where I sleep it's going to be my studio space, its always going to be my studio where I’m making something, it’s where I feel most comfortable
BB: What does Britishness mean to you?
LM: I don't really like that word anymore, to be honest, I can't lie to you. When I think of Britishness everything is just so hindered at the moment, I don't have much faith in Britishness anymore, but I don't believe in this whole idea of countries I don’t get how you can just claim one bit of land and say certain people are from somewhere and different views belong in different places, none of that makes any sense to me, to be honest.
BB: Lastly when and where is Divergence happening?
LM: We have the private viewing on the 15th August from 7-11pm, and open to the public until the 25th August but only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_line_height="2em"]The 16 artists who contributed work to Divergence and made it the eclectic celebration of womanhood that it was were Lottie MacAskill, Bella Brickhill, Amelia Davies, Buki Kekere, Jose Kay-Ogunsola, Sid Knight, Millie-Beth Wright, Kira McCarthy, Caitlin McGahan, Niah McGiff, Cosima Moreau, Alicia Quayson, Ella Witt, Katie Lane, Elif Yanya. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" background_color="#f9f9f9" custom_padding="20px||0px|" disabled_on="off|off|off" global_module="30533"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" global_parent="30533" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px" parallax_method_1="off" custom_css_main_element="padding-left:30px !important;||padding-right:30px !important;"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" global_parent="30533" header_text_color="#ffffff" header_letter_spacing="19px" text_letter_spacing="1px" custom_margin="15px|||"]
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