Andy Wicks – Interview January 2012

Here’s a recent interview I did for Claudio Parentela’s blog, you can see more interviews here www.elvisinh.blogspot.com

Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

I was born on the southern edge of London, a world of commuters and slightly wider streets. I spend most of my time in east London these days where I have my studio practice and do a bit of technician work.

How would you describe your work?

I’m interested in the city and the role it plays in our lives. I enjoy walking paths and looking for things that others may miss, subtle oddities in the environment that take my imagination. My current body of work has taken River Thames mooring structures (dolphins) as an motif for a forgotten past, one of the remaining elements of the River’s (and the city’s) shipping heritage. Still rooted to the mudbanks but gently rotting away with the movement of the tide. There’s a form of romantic longing and storytelling held within these structures for me. The paintings I’ve make as a result walk a line between the heavy ugly brutality of their construction (rotting and rusting colours) and a simplistic beauty in their form.

Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?

I wouldn’t say one person did as such, but growing up I enjoyed playing with art materials. I would always be painting and drawing on family holidays even from a young age. While at school it became apparent that the only subject I really cared about was the art lesson so I just took each opportunity to study further until I got to the stage that I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

What is your favorite medium?

I work mainly with oil paint and use resins to create a flat layered surface to work on to. I enjoy the constant discovery of the medium, the way it can be manipulated to perform in numerous ways on the same canvas.

Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?

The world around me informs my ideas, often from walking somewhere with my camera and having an appreciation for the undervalued.

How long does it take to complete a piece?

With long drying times especially using resin I usually have a few canvases on the go at once. They can take anything from a couple of weeks to few months. I don’t tend to come back to unfinished pieces, if they aren’t working for me I move on to something that has more potential.

Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?

My tastes are split down the middle between ‘clean’ abstraction (Tobias Lehner, Thomas Scheibitz) and a more out their ‘messy’ approach (Albert Oehlen, Anselm Kiefer). I guess I should also say I’m particular into German artist if that wasn’t already apparent… I’m also into the work of Gert & Uwe Tobias who are known for producing large woodcuts but their output also includes sculpture, collage, drawing all tided together through interest exhibition design.

Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

I’m not represented but try to be proactive when it comes to exhibiting opportunities. I had a painting in the London Art Fair recently and have two group shows coming up in April/May, both are the debut exhibitions for new project spaces in South London; Collectible at Zeitgeist Project Space in New Cross and Past and Present at Occupy my Time in Deptford. I’m also looking forward to making my first sculpture which will be on display at WW Gallery’s Patio Projects in July, which is part of a public art commission series.

Do you have any ‘studio rituals’? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

I prefer to get into the studio early and ease into the day by looking at what I’ve been working on, I also need to get in early as I know I can procrastinate with my ritual of catching up on the news so I try to build that into my day. I usually have music playing while working but don’t feel that I need a particular sound to get me in the mood for work, if I’m in the mood I’ll get stuff done, the music just keeps me going.

What is your favorite a) taste, b) sound, c) sight, d) smell, and e) tactile sensation?

A hard question to answer.. a/ taste is best when when unexpected flavours work together but I like spicy things b/ the sound of the sea, seagulls & a gentle wind blowing c/ an uninterrupted landscape of rolling hills and openness d/ burning coals (or the non romantic answer – hot tarmac & petrol) e/ cold soft powdery snow.

Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your ‘drive’? What would you like to accomplish in your ‘profession’?

I push myself to be better, to enjoy the journey and grow with each opportunity. I am very driven and like most artists I never really switch off, but at that level of involvement with your own practice and the surround artworld you have to love it to keep the level of energy up.

When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

I suppose I am part of first home computer generation (a child of the 80s) . I was an early starter with websites and actually brought my domain name in my mid teens while at school to show my developing art activities. I now rely on the web to communicate what i’m up to and have found Twitter to be a great tool for networking, I also blog regularly and use Mail Chimp for exhibition mailing list. I find using a mix of social media and websites keeps me connected and up to date with goings on and helps get my work to new audiences (such as being asked to take part in online interviews!).

What do you obsess over?

Career, life/work balance, quality of work produced etc. Its all to easy for an artist to get obsessed by everything but generally I try to keep a balanced head and get on with it.

Do you have prefered working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?

I recently did a year long residency at the Florence Trust (a charitable artist studio program in a Grade 1 listed church in North London), while there I worked full days up to 7 days a week. An amazing experience but not possible for a sustained existence living in an expensive city. I’m a freelance art technician so now have a mix of odd days off in the week, evenings and weekends. I prefer an early start and have full days but realise I have to make do whenever I have the opportunity.

Do you do commissioned works?

I’ve done a few bits for friends and family but even those I found stressful and incongruous with my usual way of working.

Any tips for emerging artists?

A visiting tutor said to me on my foundation that the only reason why he didn’t get further with his art is he didn’t have the energy for it. At the time I was worried I didn’t have the drive and determination to make a go of it but I knew I enjoyed making work. Over time I saw people around me get opportunities and have some form of success, as a young artist a group of peers is an invaluable thing, a great motivator and education in the workings of the system. Don’t expect too much too soon but love what you do and observe others. Don’t wait for opportunities but create them – organise shows, studio groups, meet people and engage.

Your contacts

www.andywicks.co.uk
www.twitter.com/andywickspaints

Florence Trust 2012 Winter Open

Its been 6 months since I finished my residency at the Florence Trust and this Friday sees the first opportunity for this years artists to show their work to the masses. I’ve met a number of FT 2012 artists and can’t wait to go back to see the place and catch up with artists old and new. If you’ve not been I highly recommend a visit to this stunning building in a leafy part of north London. I recently met this years Florence Trust Axis Bursary artist Hanae Utamura at the London Art fair where she described how she’s used her studio as a large evolving installation rendered in layers of paint and plastic. While Ben Woodeson will no doubt be challenging health and safety regs in a new and nerve inducing way. Not to be missed.

London Art Fair 2012

I’m going to be showing with Rise Art in the Art Projects section (stand P29) of the London Art Fair. My 2009 painting Fred will feature alongside a selection of original works and prints by Avigail Talmor, Ting-Ting Cheng, Chris Shaw Hughes and Edd Pearman.

The Art Projects section features many other project spaces and galleries include Edel Assanti (who hosted Superunknown in 2010) and Hannah Barry while Limoncello and Serpentine will both be showing a selection of their print editions.

The fair runs from 18th – 22nd January at The Business Design Centre, Islington.

Fred 122 x 121 cm Oil on Canvas 2009

Londonist Article

The Londonist have written a small article on my work as part of their London artists series, which looks at artists who take the city as inspiration. You can see the article here

Back to the studio

After a self imposed studio exile since leaving the Florence Trust in the summer I was delighted to collect the keys for my new studio over the weekend. In that time I’ve viewed, written, read, installed and even brought art, everything but make it. The break was much needed at first, after an intense year in the studio I wanted time away and also needed to get my head down and earn some money. But the last couple of months have really made me aware of what I’ve been missing. The times when I wasn’t working, when I would have usually been in the studio felt wasted and with December being notoriously quiet work wise I jumped at the chance to get going again.

In my blog entry summarizing my year at the Florence Trust I mentioned plans for a shared studio with a couple of fellow FT artists. Those plans are still very much in the works so I see the current studio as a stop gap for a couple of months until we get the green light to move in. There will be much more information on this in the new year but in the meantime it feels great to finally have a space where I can go and try things out. I spent Saturday afternoon moving a few bits of equipment over and messed around with some block prints I made at home during my exile. At the time they didn’t feel as though they were going in the right direction, but having a space to view them in and work into them was perhaps all I needed?

With a work in a couple of exhibitions at the moment and a few shows lined up for early 2012 it feels like good timing to get making again. Watch this space..

December – Upcoming exhibitions

I have work in a couple of exhibitions opening in the next week. If you’re in the area make sure you take a look.

Exploring Regional Spaces – Spike Island, Bristol

This is the extended version of an article originally published on Rise Art.

Last week saw the opening of Firstsite in Colchester which got me thinking about some of the spaces I’ve discovered on my travels.

I love going to regional galleries. Whenever I leave London to meet friends or family I always check to see what new spaces I can take in whilst there. Most regions now have their own publically funded gallery; many of the newer spaces with striking architectural statements – look at the newly opened Hepworth, Yorkshire and Turner Contemporary, Kent. Both designed by David Chipperfield Architects and both hoped to be the catalyst of regeneration of industrial waterside sites.

An area that has seen much regeneration over the last couple of decades is Bristol’s harbour-side, home to the Arnolfini which has seen its surroundings dramatically landscaped and now finds itself at the centre of busy vibrant city centre. I visited at the end of July, on the weekend of the Harbour Festival – celebrating the city’s maritime past and impressive new surroundings. Hundreds of thousands visited and my plan was to brave the crowds and catch some shows. Anyone who knows this area of Bristol will know that the Arnolfini is right amongst all the festivities, so getting to the door took time but once in, it was empty.

The Arnolfini has been on my radar since a visit in a 2000 when I caught a Liam Gillick exhibition. But on this occasion my destination was also the lesser known Spike Island, a mere mile along the riverbank. Spike Island is a funded space which I’ve known of more for its onsite artists studios. In the exhibition space was Structure & Materials, a show of 3 exciting female sculptors. A Haywood organized touring exhibition which had previously shown at The Hepworth’s neighbour, The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (its 3^rd and final stop is the The New Art Gallery, Walsall) in which all the work is drawn from the Art Council Collection.

Installation view of 'Structure & Material', with with works by Becky Beasley and Karla Black

The show features the work of flavour of the month & current Turner Prize nominee Karla Black along with Claire Barclay and Becky Beasley. The building, a former Tea packing factory couldn’t be further from the sleek contemporary spaces mentioned earlier but what it did was leave a massive impression.  Walking into the main gallery you are confronted with a huge triple height ceiling space leading through to a smaller space running parallel. The light was incredible and the works sat sparingly throughout.

Black had a couple of crumpled suspended pieces along with a large powder rectangle marked out on the floor. As always with her work, I had to search through the literature to take in all different everyday materials used (such as toothpaste, nail varnish, soap, bath bombs and polythene) which caused much bemusement to the family members who were dragged on this jaunt with me.

One wall had Beasley’s beautiful yet playful Walnut shelves hinged in various combinations, each replicating the length of her father’s arms, with hinges replacing joints in a variety of flexing positions. In a way reminiscent of Donald Judd’s Stacks which had limply twisted in the middle likes arms of a clock.

Installation view of 'Structure & Material', with with works by Becky Beasley and Claire Barclay

Beasley also presented a series of Silver Gelatin photographic prints of various mundane objects; the images were almost ghostly, reproduced in grey scale, seemingly with two prints joined in the middle by a crease exposed onto the surface of the print. The paper was held onto the backboard of the frame by eyelets piercing the corners of the prints, such a subtle detail but ultimately very pleasing in a show which is aptly summed up in the title, all about Surface and Material.

Barclay’s work consisted of a number of freestanding fabricated metal construction often involving draped fabrics which visually have an element of the everyday, but lack an approachable functionality.

Reading the show in terms of form and shape the works could be seen as crisp and overtly conceptual. But the inventive use of, and inexhaustible list of materials lifts the works and creates a strong connection between each of the artists. Whether its hard metal used by Barclay or soft crumbled paper of Black’s work, there is a fragility and elegance to the individual pieces above the sum of their parts.

Installation view of 'Structure & Material', with with works by Becky Beasley and Karla Black

Recent text – Colin Perry, July 2011

Andy Wicks’ paintings depict objects that might initially appear otherworldly or imagined, but are in fact real structures for mooring boats that can be seen – should you look – dotted along the River Thames. Existing some place in the no-man’s land between improvisation and ordinary functionality, they appear alternately too decrepit for use, or else modern, robust and sturdy. These mooring stations are called ‘dolphins’, an appellation that seems arbitrary given their utter lack of physical resemblance to the marine creature. Also seemingly arbitrary is their ad hoc composition and materiality: they can be built out of anything from pressure-treated pine to hardwood, reinforced concrete, or steel girders and tubes. Here, form follows function – but there is also a unity to their robust armature and tide-washed weathering, rusty iron, and agglutinated patches of algae fronds. Wicks’ paintings have a striking figure-ground contrast: the backgrounds are often rendered with a muddy-watery effect created by mixing resins, thinned oil paints and other mediums, which the artist agitates into eddies of bare canvas and coagulated paint – a process that echoes the flow of the river itself.

Colin Perry, 2011 Published in Florence Trust 2011 Catalogue

Colin is a freelance art writer based in London and writes for Art Monthly, Frieze, ArtReview, Modern Painters amongst others.

Andy Wicks, Irene, 25.5 x 20.5 cm, Oil on canvas, 2011

Florence Trust Exhibition – Installation shots

Anna M. R. Freeman

Collectif-fact

Catrin Morgan

Taisuke Makihara

Andy Wicks

Andy Wicks

Justin Eagle / Andy Wicks

Freya Pocklington

Freya Pocklington / Andy Wicks

Private view crowd

 

Private view crowd

A Year at The Florence Trust 2010 – 2011

Its been two weeks since the Florence Trust exhibition finished which signaled the end of my year long residency at St Saviour’s. Since then I’ve found myself in and around the studio quite a bit which while empty of my belongings, still had a hold over my time. After such a full on and immersive year it was sad to hand my keys back but as I move on a new set of artists arrive to start their own journeys.

Florence Trust w/polyethylene roofs over studios - Photo E. Torrell

I came to the Florence Trust as an artist looking to experience full time practice, to create time away from the constraints of paid work to see what I could achieve over the course of a year. The appeal of doing this at a residency such as the FT was the support network of fellow artists as well as the studio manager and director, something to ease me in to a new way of working, which isn’t usually available in large closed off studio spaces. On a personal note I’m happy with the shift i’ve seen my practice take in the last year and I believe this really is down to having consistency of thought from day after day at the studio, along with a heap of messing around with paint. But my overriding memories of the FT are the people and the space, being there really made me aware that I am part of lineage of artists who have been using the studios over the past 20 years. But is one dependent on the other? While the space is truly inspiring, beautiful and impossible to hide from, its the group of 11 very different artists coming together who made the experience. As a group consisting of multiple nationalities and artistic backgrounds it was our shared journey through the year that brought people together. Ongoing independent practice may consume the individual but the openness of the studios and communal areas created a schedule for dialogue and banter at lunches, tea breaks and social activities. The changes of seasons and the setting in of winter, while tough was a great catalyst for togetherness and a competitive survival instinct, demonstrated perfectly with varying approaches to polyethylene roof building. The end of winter and the start of spring brought new optimism to the studios with the gardens and wildlife becoming a bigger part of everyday life, our winter film club and pub quizzes turned to BBQ’s and beers.

Group shot (8 of 11) FT artists in Basel

The Basel trip while very near to the end exhibition came as a perfect remedy from possible studio blues and as we all knew each other so well by then was a fun filled trip away with friends. Once back we had two weeks of prepping the space for the exhibition, taking down the 3 central studios opened up the space and highlighted the architecture of the building, perhaps making a strong exhibition even more of a challenge. Thankfully in my opinion and those of many visitors it was a great success for which thanks should go to Paul Bayley (FT Director) for his problem solving and vision for how 11 different artist’s work could sit and read so well together. With a years worth of life on display I wanted to spend as much time at the show as possible invigilating. Talking with visitors about my fellow artists work opened up more readings of their work and created some interesting dialogue. I was happy with the response to my work, we had a huge opening night with far too many people to squeeze chats in with and delighted that a few of my works have now taken their place in a private collection in Italy.

Its been an absolute pleasure to have been able to spend time alongside each of my fellow artists, to watch their working practices up close and share their excitement over future projects and opportunities. If you want to keep an eye on the FT 2011 Artists you can find out more about their work and links to personal websites here.

Install shot of Florence Trust Summer Show

So whats next for me? Well firstly a bit of a break is in order. Whereas before this year it was a treat to get time in the studio, now it feels like one if I have a day away. With the realities of life once again at my door I will endeavor to seek a better live / (art) work balance to move forward with. The cost of London living makes everything feel like a compromise but if I take anything from this experience its just reinforced my desire to continue doing what i’m doing as much as I can. In the short term I’m going to be sans studio with my paintings and studio packed safely in storage, however I have got some ideas for a series of prints which I will be experimenting with in the meantime. There are also tentative plans on a building which maybe made into studios for myself and a few of the FT 2011 artists, it has the potential to be an amazing studio in another interesting period property, but until more discussions take place I’ll say no more.

I plan to get my curating/organizing head back on and push forward a few projects which have been on the back burner this year. One of those, a 3 person show with FT2011 artist Adam Watts and Peter Ainsworth is coming together nicely and we’re now seeking the right kind of space to exhibit in. I’d also love to do a solo show with the new work some day soon and imagine that the prints could fit nicely with the works on canvas. I’m excited to find time to take in more exhibitions in London having been out of the loop of late, I was blown away by Piccadilly Community Center Christoph Büchel’s immense installation at Hauser & Wirth last week and I still vividly remember his show at the Coppermill off Brick Lane in 2007. Through writing this and summing up it all suddenly feels very final, but far from it, the rigour and dialogue of the FT is something I will be looking to keep with me for the next stage.