The Joy of Art Through The Post
I love post, I love not knowing what is going to come through your letterbox and the absolute joy of finding something beautiful there, just makes my day better. No other form of communication has been able to top post for me yet and probably never will - no matter how convenient and cost-effective.
So you can imagine how delighted I was to receive a zine through my door from Guinean-American artist Hady Barry.
Hady created her zine: ‘A collection of offerings to honour the memory of the dead’ during a residency earlier this year at pocoapoco in Oaxaca, Mexico.
She collected dried terciopela and cempasúchil flowers and using cyanotype, sketches and notes from the books she was reading, created a tender and heartfelt risograph print which she folded and cut by hand to create a zine. “a garden for the gone”
In her newsletter ‘Tati’ which I highly recommend subscribing to, Hady mentioned that she had a limited number of copies of the zine to send out, and I was lucky enough to have signed up for one in time.
I have been a fan of Hady’s work for a while now and I was delighted to see she has included a video of the talk she gave at Le Feuilletage about her first photobook ‘I am (not) your mother’ which received the Juror’s Special Mention at the 2024 Aperture Photobook Awards.
Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to Paris last year to see Hady speak in person (plus, my French isn’t good enough anymore to be able to have understood it all) luckily for me, the film of the talk has English subtitles, so I was able to sit with a cuppa and learn the story of this absolutely beautiful book. Hady’s work is so personable and tender, her photographs and writing are beautiful and I was brought to tears several times watching the talk. I hope you enjoy it as well.
Hady’s website is hadyberry.com and from there you can subscribe to her newsletter and look through her previous work and projects.
Artist Talk with Annie Lord
Berwick-upon-Tweed had another cracking programme for Heritage Open Days this year. I attended a talk by artist Annie Lord who was walking us through her time as the Berwick Bridge 400 artist in residence and her work: Sketching in Stone.
Annie pored through the Berwick archives, uncovering the names of the workers who built the bridge in 1624. She then created forty watercolour paints by and from the local sandstone which was used in the bridge’s repair. Each paint was named after a worker and given to members of the public, who used them to create art inspired by the bridge.
Read more about Sketching in Stone here and explore Annie’s work at annielord.co.uk
Virtual Artist Studio Visit with Allyson Keehan
Last week I spent 90 minutes completely absorbed in a virtual studio visit with Allyson Keehan, an Irish artist now living in Glasgow.
Allyson creates self-portraits using oil paint and sculpture, exploring her body and how it has transformed since giving birth to twins. She examines flesh, drapery, and fabric as material evidence of maternal time, ageing, rupture, and healing.
I love the symbolism in Allyson’s work. Especially the contrast between the technical skill displayed in her paintings and the playful attitude from her sculptures.
Visit Allyson’s website to see more of her work.
Two Exhibitions at the Baltic
I always enjoy a trip to the Baltic in Gateshead. I love the building, the location, the art on display, the cafe, the restaurant, the shop, it truly is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
On my last visit I saw two new exhibitions by Laura & Rachel Lancaster and Sheila Aparicio. I’ve written about them both:
Laura Lancaster & Rachel Lancaster: Remember, Somewhere at Baltic
There something magical about seeing Laura and Rachel Lancaster’s work side by side.
Saelia Aparicio: A Joyful Parasite at Baltic
Saelia Aparicio describes her work as “cute and creepy” — and A Joyful Parasite is exactly that.
Women Making Art Reading Room Update
Progress to the reading room is slow, but steady. Last week we took another step forward by having the floors sanded and varnished. They have now been restored to their 19th century glory. These floors are honestly glorious, I can only imagine who and what has walked over them during the last 150 odd years. The next step is painting the walls (I just need to choose a colour), then comes the furniture and most excitingly, the books. It finally starting to feel real. Soon(ish) the Reading Room will be opening!
Wish I had been there…
American-British artist Lesley Finn opened a new solo show in Baltimore last week and I wish I could have been there to experience her beautiful work in person. Lesley creates thought-provoking collages that explore how visuals and text interact with each other. I am especially fond of her series: Telegraphy of the Etheric Plane; where she took transcriptions of spirit voices from recorded séances and reimagined them as telegrams.