MATTHEW SMALL AND FRAN WILLIAMS ‘THE WAY WE WERE’
Date: 27th Mar - 12th Apr 13
We are delighted to announce that Matthew Small and Fran Williams will be showing their work together for the first time in a two-man show at the gallery. The show called ‘The Way We Were’ finds the two artists in top form, producing powerful works in their distinctively intense styles. Both artists have largely concentrated on portraiture as their main stylistic medium. There is also an underlying melancholy and soulfulness in both their works, which sits very well together, even though the technical means of achieving this atmosphere is quite different.

Fran Williams studied illustration at Swansea Metropolitan University and since graduating she has shown in across the UK solo and group shows and at a number of important Art Fairs, notably the London Art Fair. Her unique blend of ethereal beauty and painterly technique, have found her a place in the Urban Art scene as well as in the Fine Art community. The artists says about her work ‘I relentlessly explore the emotive qualities of paint, surface and form. My ethereal figures that take the viewer on a journey within. The paintings are a visual diary of my life experience so far, as I aim to capture and trap my feelings and emotions in paint’.

Matthew Small also studied illustration, firstly at the University of Westminster and then at The Royal College of Art. He has shown extensively in London and internationally and has been a considerable figure in London’s Urban Art scene for several years. Matt’s unique technique, creating a colourful kaleidoscopic effect in a series of intimate portraits, mostly of young black men, has become an iconic trademark for the artist. He invariably paints on found metal objects, which adds to the intensely urban feel and beauty of the works.

The other day I travelled up to the middle of England to do some hand finishing to a new screen print being released by Nelly Duff.

Much thanks to Ian and Jan of Goldmark Altier for being such lovely hosts and facilitating me whilst i tore into the Becky prints with my power tools and crayons

The results of my hard labour can be seen down at the Nelly Duff gallery on Columbia road….

On the practical side, I hate screen printing, it’s labour intensive and requires an effort to do the one thing I hate doing, cleaning things up!!!
I got into loads of trouble at art college because I kept leaving everything messy bessy, screens clogged, squidgy things mucky……so I eventually developed a fear of screen printing and steered clear…

Recently though I have been asked to work on developing a new screen print by the guys at Jealous Prints

It’s been fun working on the different components of the print, layers, colours and just watching the whole process come together….and the great thing is I don’t have to clean anything up what so ever…..

The print is still in the proofing stage so theres a bit more to go on… but it’s another way for me to think about working……exellentoooo

This should be a mega spunk filled show……..

9-18 November 2012

Factory 7, 13 Hearn Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3LS

We are pleased to present Urban Masters, an alternative art installation in a former Victorian factory in London’s trendiest area: Shoreditch. In Urban Masters, street and urban artists from all over the world render an homage to the masters, masterpieces and muses that have influenced them.

Some of the world’s best street and urban artists of the moment are represented:
Bom.K - Blo - Brusk - Gris1 - Jaw - Kan - Sowat - Lek -
Roa - David Shillinglaw - Zezão - Sweet Toof - Blek Le Rat -
Ron English - Mac1 - Matt Small - Alexandros Vasmoulakis -
El Mac - C215 - Joe Black - Seen - Risk - Remi Rough -
Sixeart - Zeus - Mentalgassi - Nick Gentry - The London Police -
StinkFish - Rone - Banksy - Kid Zoom - Nick Walker - Shepard Fairey

With a broad scope of contemporary urban and street artworks and installations, URBAN MASTERS will attempt to capture the feelings and experience of the artists who were invited to give their personal interpretation on the marks left by art history-makers.

Me, Matty small or mc cooly small as I am otherwise known on the streets of London is travelling to the Danish city Copenhagen with my lovely family for an art event organized by the groovy chaps at Black pop
This little shindiggy will have me showcasing some of my brash, aggressive, and seemingly difficult art works of wraiths and strays that no one wants to acknowledge on this mud ball called Earth.
Denmarkian people though, like all other Scandinavian countries are super tolerant, incredibly accepting and generally open minded about everything in the known universe so its good to be introducing my art to that side of the world…..

The whole thing ties into some clothes shop opening out there. I’ve been told it’s to do with some guy from the north of England who supports some money bag football team….

Not sure who he is or what he does but whatever…..it should be a funtastically groovy vacation….

Ps
The venue, if your out there in Copenhagen land is called Bar 7 and it kicks off on the 20th of this here month.

Last weeks charity event was a great success, well organized and serious with it too.
A lot of the times, your asked to donate a piece of art work to a cause and it’s cool to do it, but you hope that those organizing the sale of works know what their doing, that they have the energy and commitment to make the fund raising scenario worthwhile for everyone involved……

All those in attendance at the event understood the importance of why they were there that night, to generate cash to help support a very important cause as apposed to picking up a cheaper than usual piece of artwork….

£27,000 big ones were made on the night so big up the peeps that worked hard to make it happen…..The Anti Slavery Organisation is a very good charity so I’m sure the money can go on to help make a difference for someone out there suffering at the hands of another human,

Next thursday is the opening of Peace Project at Gallery Different, should be a good show, hopefully lots of oiky poiky art collecting people will be popping in after visiting the Frieze art Fair down the road…..

Also if one is travelling on the London underground tube network and happen to stop by Regents Park station there should be a series of posters up that are from the show……

check out Art below for more info

On wednesday at the Village Underground Shoreditch, a special one night event will take place…..tiz an auction of arty farty works kindly donated by a selection of street artists and me, all in aid of the Anti slavery organisation.

Hopefully people will come down and support the cause and maybe realise that a little gesture can make a big difference in helping to shine a light for those in the darker places of life….

The Seen and Heard exhibition is soon to leave the West End of London, thanks so much to Karina and Neill for giving the show the exposure it got. It was always my hope that the art works produced through this project would get a wide and varied audience.

At Gallery Different, a completely different set of people were introduced to the young people that took part in the workshops, which meant, their views and stories reached the minds of those that live in a very different world to the one these kids come from…….

For the show, I made a sloppy and haste ridden film piece featuring all the interviews that was made….which for me had always been integral to the project as it gave a visual and linear presence to everyone…unfortunately it didn’t get the airing it should have, but now….I’ve got it up on Youtube and so, I’ve inserted it into my supreme website…..have a google…..

Yeaahhh, My favourite local newspaper has run a wee feature on the S&H art show (Seen and Heard dude)
Camden New Journal is a right on publication and show love to all……..even me

With this particular project, having some form of media exposure was really important to me, but that shit is hard as piss to get……I’m not sure how you go about getting a publication to do a feature on your event, I suppose having some well connected bod pulling strings helps, but anyways, what this show is about is getting people to see these young people as humans with stories to tell……This feature is one step forward

As long as we all moving in the right direction, thats what counts….

Feature: The graffiti scene is heard
Published: 6 September, 2012
by PAVAN AMARA

An art exhibition is challenging perceptions of young people through positive graffiti and installations.

The Seen And Heard project, which runs until September 15 at Gallery Different, Fitzrovia, is working alongside the Youth Offending Ser­vice, Camden Detached Project and the Single Homeless Project.

“We wanted to engage young people,” says artist Matt Small. “We want people to have a platform to express their experiences through film, painting, photography and music. I painted their portraits, the desire is to counter negative perceptions and debilitating ideas that are continually placed upon this section of society.”

Small says he wants to promote social change and ran workshops prior to the project in which under-25s in Camden were encouraged to express their views.

Reclaimed car bonnets, fridge doors and metal doors make it into the installations, and graffiti saying “love”, “happy day”, “ambition” and “fearless” is scrawled on planks of wood in a street style.

Small says: “If I can get people to think slightly differently about what they think they know, that would be a success.”