New Blood Artists making sustainable original art
The word ‘sustainability’ seems to be everywhere these days, so what does it actually mean in the context of a developing artistic career?
With environmental concerns increasingly on the agenda, many of our emerging artists are incorporating found and recycled materials into their original artworks. Thus making questions of waste and repurposing an integral part of their contemporary art practice.
Emerging artist Charlotte Walker
Charlotte’s sculptures are made exclusively from found objects – from scraps of material to planks of wood and discarded trolleys. Her bright colours and repurposed materials echo the punchy, arresting work of acclaimed South Korean contemporary artist Choi Jeong-Hwa.
For Charlotte this closed-loop process is rich with possibility and enables her to push beyond limitations in order to strive for a truly sustainable sculpture practice.
Her work plays with notions of durability and permanence, often repurposing past projects into new work. It is easy to envisage her large-scale sculptures in a corporate or institutional space. These contemporary pieces would attune well with any organisation wanting to make a statement about their commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Emerging artist Hannah Shaw-Giles
Investigating the boundaries between activism and art, Hannah Shaw-Giles’ reuses material and scavenged canvases to eradicate ‘virgin materials’ from her practice. Hannah uses old decorating paint to manipulate shreds of unrecycleable detritus, creating layers of texture. Inspired by the Arte Povera movement that bloomed in 1970s Italy, Hannah’s practice in a similar way challenges accepted notions of what fine art is made out of, and what it can achieve.
Another artist whose materials and techniques invite comparisons with the Arte Povera movement is Kainoa Gruspe. Gruspe’s work features found natural objects such as dirt and twigs. See his large, dreamcatcher-like sculpture ‘Net For The Present Moment’ – the piece features chewing gum caught between the woven strings).
Emerging artist Summah Longley
Summah Longley’s repurposed scrap metal sculptures walk the line between poetry and artwork. ‘From Scrapyard’ is made from a single piece of reclaimed steel, with illuminated words punched into it which beguile and inspire. The rusted, aged finish of the metal is offset by the stark modernity of the lights, and this piece would shine in an outdoor space as the falling light of evening draws out the glowing words.
Emerging artist Daniel Gent
Daniel’s simple, mediative sculptures are formed from pieces of discarded cardboard that have been cast in plaster. Daniel seek’s to draw attention to everyday waste that may otherwise remain unnoticed. These original works challenge conceptions of which objects and materials are ‘worthy’ of documentation and a close, considered examination. Monochromatic works such as ‘Untitled (Vertical)’ and ‘Untitled (Box)’ are replete with intricate textures that reward engagement. These works expand the mind in a meditative state to suggest wavescapes, snow and other natural formations.
Sheppard using wood found washed up on local beaches or scavenged from marshland. His bold, angular works are guided by an abstract, instinctive deference to the colours, shapes and textures of the materials that form them. Repurposing old materials as components of a larger beauty.
