Three artists – a painter exploring the connection between the spiritual and physical, a performance maker and artist – and a word-painter using shamanic calligraphy.
Saturday 7 September 2 p.m. until 9 p.m: Amal Joy presents ‘A Journey Of Conscious Awakening’
An exhibition of paintings exploring themes of spirituality, the natural world and sacred connection.
Amal: “Born in Kerala, India, I initially pursued a path in mechanical engineering, earning a degree in this field. I started doing art in my engineering years and this led me to the world of fine arts. Relocating to the United Kingdom, I developed my artistic skills by enrolling in BA Fine Art at Leeds Beckett University, where I delved into the nuances of artistic expression and conceptual exploration. I am a visionary artist, deeply inspired by the connection between the spiritual and the physical worlds. Using oils and acrylics, I create paintings that explore the deep, often hidden connections between the human spirit, divine energy and the natural world. Through this exhibition, I hope to inspire others to look within and recognise the sacred connection we all share with the universe and the earth beneath our feet.”
Book Tickets! Amal Joy: A Journey Of Conscious Awakening
Wednesday 18th September 6.30 p.m. : Ellie Harrison: Artist Talk
Join the journey through artist Ellie Harrison’s career, as she speaks about her art practice, The Grief Series project and the experiences that have led her to where she is today. Doors open 6 p.m., talk begins at 6.30 and there’ll be a break at 7.30 until 7.45. when the Q & A begins.
Ellie Harrison is a disabled performance maker and artist living in Leeds and working internationally. She is artistic director of Polite Rebellion and the acclaimed Grief Series, a sequence of seven arts projects that open up spaces to talk about bereavement and end of life. She creates a range of solo and collaborative devised performance and installation work for studios, galleries, found and public spaces. Participation is at the heart of all of her work as a performer, facilitator and mentor.
Ellie specialises in embedding care and ethical participation, both in her own practice and offering consultancy to other artists and organisations. Her work is often characterised by a playful and provocative approach to difficult topics, encouraging audiences to make decisions and participate. Ellie lectures on her practice, writing articles, giving talks, performances and workshops at universities internationally, including University of the Arts London, Sorbonne Paris and UAM Mexico City.
In 2015, Ellie won A Love Arts award for her work on The Grief Series. Working on The Grief Series has seen Ellie travel to Prague, Paris, Mexico City, Sibiu Festival and Timisoara Romania. The Projects in The Grief Series have gained national press attention. She has been invited to speak on Radio 4’s Women’s Hour and has been included in Lynn Gardner’s theatre pick of the year.
Ellie Harrison: Artist Talk
Dan Collins: Word Cave (main image is Dan Collins)
Where does the boundary lie between pictures and words? Where does drawing stop and writing begin? When does one become the other? In order to explore these questions more closely, Dan Collins has produced a series of word-paintings using a practice he describes as ‘shamanic calligraphy’.
Thursday 26 September – 6pm-11pm (Opening night), Friday 27 September – 12pm-9pm, Saturday 28 September – 2pm-8pm, Monday 30 September – 11am-6pm, Tuesday 1 October – 11am-3pm.
Workshops: Saturday 28 September – 11am-1pm (book here), Sunday 29 September – 12pm-2pm (book here).
Through his practice, Dan allows himself to be inspired by words or phrases that are deeply meaningful to him, then reacts intuitively to interpret the words visually. Although some planning and thinking are involved along the way, the main aim of this practice is to tap into subconscious and instinctual shared human emotion and symbolism, so the initial ideas for the paintings are often instant and spontaneous.
The paintings are all based around three colours- red, black, and white – representing the primal energies of birth, life, and death. ‘Word Cave’ is the culmination of more than ten years of delving into shamanic calligraphy. The cave is inspired by the idea that both painting and words developed in the caves that once sheltered humanity. By entering the Word Cave, we can imagine the dancing shadows cast by the flickering fires that illuminated those spaces, and the murmur of ancient words. It is also a reference to the cave described by Plato, where only shadows of the real world can be seen on the wall. Words describe the shadows of reality, not reality itself. Shamanic calligraphy is the artist’s attempt to glimpse beyond these shadows to the realities that cast them, to capture some of their totemic power.
Directions
Assembly House is located just off Canal Road in Armley, directly next to Slate’s furniture shop, with the entrance through the blue door. Drive, walk or use public transport. There is a free, onsite car park that you are welcome to use.
A 20 minute walk from Burley Park Station and a 25 minute walk from Hyde Park Corner and Leeds City Centre. From the town centre you can use the 14 bus to Canal Road or any bus going down Kirkstall Road or Armley Road.
There’s more information here.
