Show Do Tell
A show of undefined and repurposed objects telling stories by unreliable narrators. As part of their exhibition of paintings and sculptures, Louise Severyn-Kosinska and Monica Wheeler will be working in the gallery, remaking a selection of found objects and items brought in by gallery visitors.
Giving new life, voices and meaning to the everyday and the overlooked, Louise and Monica will be repairing and re-imagining a selection of unused and donated items, ranging from the domestic to the unfamiliar, the unwanted, broken or damaged. Repaired with thought and care, with unexpected juxtapositions of materials, some will merit a short short story to detail and label their journey. Some will be photographed to document the before and after transformation. The work will continue to be made in the gallery, and will develop over the weeks . Collaborating on the objects, they will be bringing a sense of the absurd through visual and literal language to culminate in an eclectic collection.
Look out for “Wanted” posters in the local area inviting the public to see the artists at work in the gallery, to bring in an object or choose an item from a selection box, and have a (socially distanced if appropriate) tête à tête about the piece. Visitors can ask for a show, a tell, or both, and be photographed with their choice if they wish, which will be posted on Instagram with the short short stories.
About the artists
Louise and Monica met on an artist’s symposium in Poland and have been working together since 2000, producing site-specific work and installations in England and internationally in France, Poland and Holland. They frequently show in non-gallery spaces, including a theatre foyer, an abandoned castle, the ruins of a chapel, a mausoleum, empty shops, woodlands and a salt mine. Both artists have a fine art background, discovering themes of idiosyncratic nostalgia in common, telling stories viewed through layers and projections, using found objects, adding painting and drawing, and most importantly adapting to their surroundings. Their work is filtered with emotions, to form new realities which leave traces of what has been and the prospect of new possibilities.
Louise Severyn-Kosinska lives and works in London. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Portsmouth Polytechnic and a stained glass post-grad diploma at Central School of Art and Design. Louise works with mixed media including glass, photography, collage, text and print. Her work in held in private collections in France, Poland, Iceland and Spain. As a member of Bigos Artists Collective, Louise has work in the Tate archives. Awarded the Sir Arthur Evans Travelling Scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass, Louise travelled to New York, France, Spain and Scotland to look at contemporary artists working with glass and has had drawings accepted in the International Pastel Biennale with a touring exhibition in Poland, Slovakia and Italy.
Louise has undertaken residencies and artists symposiums in France and Poland and curated print shows of artists from eastern Europe.
Monica Wheeler studied at Escuela de Bellas Artes, Panama Colon, and the John Cass School of Art, London and graduated with BA(Hons) in Fine Art from University of Hertfordshire. Monica was secretary to the Association for the Polish Artists in Great Britain (APA) and curated shows in the UK and abroad. Monica lives and works in London, and on site-specific installations in galleries and non-galleries spaces. She uses mixed media, including projections, photography, printing, painting and installations. Monica’s work is held in the private collections of Charles Haswell, Keith Butler-Wheelhouse and Cliff Richard and abroad in France, Germany, Poland and Australia.
She has undertaken residencies and artists symposiums in France and Poland.
*Liminal Postcards Workshop:
Come to the gallery and create postcards with the artists.
Bring an object, and describe how it came into your possession, share memories of before it was broken or abandoned, the story behind it and why you held on to it. Or choose from items in the gallery and decide for yourself.
Maybe it has a story in its own voice? These stories will be written on postcards, and added to the postcard rack collection in the gallery, telling of journeys , reminiscences, fantasies and downright lies!
However, if you prefer not to use words , you can of course show not tell, or draw, paint or collage objects with the artists to add to the postcard display.
Read about upcoming shows at One Paved Court HERE.
