Ah the great city of London! A city so great it even inspired the name of this very blog. A city which has inspired countless creatives and artists throughout the centuries and a city which continues to do so.
So we were not the first and indeed will not be the last to be taken aback by the metropolis we find ourselves in and indeed the focus of our latest post is to showcase the works of a group of artists who have London firmly on their mind.
Urban Soup, a collective of five artists soon to be showcasing in a show called ‘A River runs through it‘ at the Oxo Gallery on London’s South Bank, have put together a series of works celebrating the city with all of it’s ever changing faces and all of it’s many personalities. Each artist has their own take on the city, their own view of its evolving environment.
Of the five we’ve featured the work of Sarah Fosse before, her wobbly paintings capture the city in a dreamlike abstract way. It’s lines distorted and filled with colours but yet the places she portrays still remain obvious such is the iconic nature of those landmarks.
The others include Tom Cox, recently nominated one to watch by the standard and whose bustling landscapes place you into the beating heart of the city; LoveJordan a duo fascinated by complexity whose artworks show just that; Munleen Sibia whose bright colours and textured images are influenced by the places she’s visited and Michael Wallner an artist who celebrates the city through it’s lines, shapes and colours and who looks to print these on a variety of different surfaces.
Learning more about their work and the show at the Make Space Studios in Southwark Sarah, Tom and Michael told us about the blend of their art and how each artist complimented the other with their different visions of the city. Sarah and Tom are based here and we even got to look inside their studios, Sarah’s light and airy punctuated by colour and Tom’s smaller, darker, a work in progress by the window and with a floor full of art.
We thought it would be a good idea to interview them all together and you can watch the whole thing by clicking on the video above. They are all clearly passionate about the show and there is a giddy excitement when they talk about their works, what they are planning to hang and whether the space will be right. They also clearly love each others work, talking just as passionately about the work of the artists who are not in the room but who are also part of the show.
“We’re all nuts about London” says Sarah, “we paint London, we draw London, we print London and we photograph London in lots and lots of different ways, it’s an artistic celebration of London.” And to be fair who could ask for more than that.
A River Runs Through It is will show at the Oxo Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London, SE1 9PH. It will take place between 6-10 September 2017 and features the work of Sarah Fosse, Tom Cox, Michael Wallner LoveJordan and Munleen Sibia
A River Runs Through It Gallery
To read about a preview for the Urban Soup collectives 2019 exhibition at the Oxo Tower. Click here.
It’s well worth exploring the Make Space Studios both inside and out!!! Lots of wonderful artwork to spot including some of our favourite street artist who have left their mark here!!! The Make Space Studios would make a good feature here on it’s own Stuart! Not been to the Oxo Gallery before so this exhibition sounds worth the trip…
Agreed was the first time I’d been there and it’s a great little co-working space
The Make Space Studios hold an open weekend every year so keep a eye out for next year maybe May or June!!! Did you spot the large new hotel next to the studios (The Marlin Hotel)? It has the second largest mural in London painted on the south wall, 14m x7m. The mural of 6,000 bricks of green pixel leaves was painted by Malcom Willett who has a studio in Make Space Studios. Ben Eine also has a studio there.. More info on the Make Space Studios can be found on http://www.makespacestudios.com/