New show curated by artist is joyful and arresting…
IN WHAT is almost certainly one of the largest and most ambitious exhibitions of its kind – the work of the nation’s hobbyists have gone on display.
There are over 14,000 items available to see at the Grants Building in Croydon, South London.
This free exhibition has been curated by artist Hetain Patel – whose work has often been symbolised by his own Spider-Man figure creations.
He has ‘decorated’ a new car (‘Somerset Road’ 2024), made a new art film and his iconic self constructed ‘Fiesta Transformer’ (2013) can also be seen as part of this exhibition, which remains available to view until October 20 this year, at this current venue – it will go on a national tour in 2025 and 2026.
Earlier this year, in January, art charity, Artangel – which specialises in bringing ‘art’ to non artistic spaces – made a nationwide callout for people to share their hobby passions with a view to putting them on display. More than 1500 responded and there is a huge variety of exhibits available to view in ‘Come As You Really Are’.
There are few labels or titles ‘describing’ or ‘explaining’ the work and often what is on show is quite self explanatory, as Patel told us in his interview with us. (See our Instagram video below).
“There’ are no value judgements,” said Patel, explaining to www.asainculturevulture.com earlier that he wanted the exhibition to reflect its title and in many ways break down the barrier between art and hobbies – and in other ways also interrogate these labels (if you want). “The accent is very much on hobbies – and I am interested in those things that we do when we don’t have to do – and often it reveals a lot of vulnerability – and many do these hobbies, behind closed doors and they are not to show but it’s close to their hearts and speaks a lot about who they are. It’s very diverse. The idea of expressing yourself is not just for artists or a few people, it’s human.”
The whole point is in some ways to democratise art/hobbies and make it accessible to all without the pretensions or judgement art can sometimes provoke.
Patel’s work will be one of the constants of the touring exhibitions, while other parts of the country will have slightly different versions.
Patel’s new short art film focuses on some of the exhibitors – including nail artist Zahra Nadeem and shows the passion and dedication many have for their craft, whether it be nail art or knitting, sea swimming (in winter), car enhancements or cosplay – all feature in Patel’s film and the exhibition also has Lego, knitting and even a section with old typewriters to name just three among a host of other pursuits and holy objects.
As is Patel’s trademark, he brings high end cinema techniques and epic character camerawork to these hobbyists and often the effect is stunning and revealing.
Nadeem herself was at the press launch and spoke to us about her hobby nail work which she has been doing for around two years, having worked on nails for more than double that time professionally. (See our Instagram interview below).
Another artist we met on the opening launch was Bx Woo who makes miniature pottery with the help of her own self-adapted miniature pottery wheel. She explained the process to us. (See Instagram interview below).
Daisy Bow du Toit is a student and makes prints using some of the earliest techniques behind photography – she makes these prints for her own satisfaction, while some are more practical – you can see her work, known as cyanotypes @daisybow_crafts.
Ford is another impressive figure in ‘Come As You Really Are’ – he has been collecting things that interest him since the 1950s and his plastic bag collection is inspired by the changing nature of design – you can see the evolution of graphics and fonts and even for the lay person they provide a fascinating insight into how we all move with the times, so to speak. Go to his website www.kenford.me to see more.
Among acv’ eccentric favourites are the hand made woven (?) messages which start innocuously but end up in funny and totally unexpected places. There’s one about meeting someone quite randomly in a shop and ending up at a gathering of adults whose primary motivation is sexual pleasure. Don’t say you haven’t been warned…
This exhibition is also an insight into eccentricities in some ways – are the British unique in their dedication to these sorts of hobbies, what does it say about our character and national outlook? It does also ask about identity – but these questions need only to be asked if interested – you can enjoy the exhibition wtithout having to think about anything…
There’s no compulsion or expectation tp ponder – there’s just an invitation to enjoy and marvel and with some of these you can engage if you wish…
Artangel is still accepting submissions for future exhibitions in ‘Come As You Really Are’. Please go to thehobbycave.org.uk
There are also talks with some of the creators this Saturday (August 3) and next (August 10). See details on the Artangel website down below.
All pictures ©ACV/BTM
Listings
Come As You Really Are (July 18)-October 20 2024
Grants Building, 14-32 High Street, Croydon, CR0 1GT.
Free entry
Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 10am-4pm
‘Come As You Really Are’ also goes to Swansea, Sunderland, Blackpool, Derby, Barnsley, Blackburn, Wolverhampton, Londonderry, Cornwall, Inverness, Manchester and Arbroath from February 2025 right through to 2026.
You can also book to view/more: http://www.artangel.org.uk/project/come-as-you-really-are
