Orange Dot Gallery

Joel Clifford, artist, has collaborated with London-based musician Arcam to produce a specialist screen print series in response to each track of Arcamʼs forthcoming album, August. Friendship and mutual aesthetic ideas related to sight, sound and environment have formed the foundations on which this interactive exhibition has been created.

Joel Clifford is an illustrator and professional printmaker based in London. His work has a graphic style shaped by the layering nature of screen printing. He doesnʼt draw; instead he thinks in collage, mentally layering and combining shapes, colours and found imagery. He collects inspiration from many sources and experiments with the aesthetics of the original image, forming a narrative that draws upon the past, mixing in contemporary artworking.

Arcamʼs album August was recorded intermittently between 2007 and 2012 but written as a single composition in which each track contributes to an overarching narrative exploring themes of time, memory and loss. Track titles reference changes in seasons and the movement of the sea is a recurring metaphor. Natural imagery and the angular modernism of the prints represent contemporary and nostalgic themes using printed paper, wood panels and hand-made printed blankets.

August is comprised of recordings formed entirely of sounds originating from a single source: the guitar. Yet, while the tonal qualities of an electric six-string are evident throughout, they appear in a modified state having been digitally re-rendered to form tones, drones, swells and surges, resonant textures, clicks and cuts.
This is a multi-media exhibition. Each artwork has been assigned a QR code. By scanning these codes with a smartphone, exhibition visitors can stream the audio track associated with each artwork on their phone. Visitors are encouraged to bring a smartphone with headphones to the gallery to experience the exhibition in full.

Visitor Instructions
1. Install a QR code reader on your smartphone (we recommend QR Reader, available free for iPhone and Android with ads or £0.69 for ads-free version)
2. Open the QR code reader app
3. Point your smartphone camera at QR code
4. Your phone should open a webpage containing an image of the artwork the code relates to. Below this you should see a soundcloud music player. Click play on the player to stream the audio track associated with the artwork.

The tracks can also be streamed from www.arcamexhibition.com

August will also be available to purchase on limited edition CD from Orange Dot Gallery for the duration of the exhibition and will be released digitally to co-incide with the exhibition opening.

August litters over the last tread of the day, and hope ever swells in all our dark places…

“Almost three years ago to the day, I was at one of those First Thursday things in East London where it’s generally more about the beer and the people than it is about the works. In fact the work that evening, or at least the portion i managed to see, had been unusually bad.

That all changed, when I bumped into an old friend of mine Catherine, who was running The Outside World gallery. I went in to catch up with her and saw the artwork on display without looking at it.

It was only when i started chatting to the artist, Dan, and he was talking me through the paintings that i saw the work. We shared a love of things esoteric and exchanged recommendations on books. The paintings, a reworking of famous Old Masters, weren’t necessarily the last word on a subject on which a lot of artists riff but they were an indication, to me at least, of a highly unusual talent. The taste of things to come was very very intoxicating.

After a discussion with my business partner which lasted all of five minutes, we bought most of the paintings on display.

It was a costly chance encounter with an old friend which I haven’t regretted for a single minute.

Dan and I stayed in touch and he sent me images of works in progress from his new base in Riga and we had scheduled a show for September (2011). The new work (seen on a computer screen only) were definitely indicative of the talent we had noticed that Thursday evening.

Sadly, fate decided on a different play. I received a phone call from Dan’s Mother, Dee, with some very sad news.

Nevertheless we decided to carry on with a show on what would have been his birthday to celebrate a talent and a life cut short.”

– Vikas Malik, co-founder The Orange Dot Art Gallery.

Dan Jupp was born in Jamaica in 1980 and spent his childhood there as well as Bangladesh, Singapore and the UK. He moved to Riga, Latvia in 2009. This nomadic lifestyle had great impact on his perspectives of the World. His art draws on thoughtful interpretions of different ideologies and philosophies which fascinated him from a young age. As a practitioner of various types of yoga and meditation and an avid reader of esoterica, ideas from Hinduism, mystical Christianity, Sufism and Zen Buddhism infuse his work. Much derives from a deep psychological and emotional level, all of which drive a metaphysical necessity to heal and improve. Although the subjects sometimes seem dark on first sight closer reflection reveals often ultimately uplifting sentiments; blood turning into roses, phoenix rising, transmutations of evil into good. Many of his pieces are deliberately satirical and mock the excesses of modernity and accepted dogma.

Dan studied Special Effects at Wimbledon School of Art , London where he learnt his skills as a sculptor (and worked on one of the creatures in the HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy film); however he taught himself painting skills and painting in oils and acrylics became his preferred milieu for several years. His debut exhibition was at The Outside World Gallery in London in May 2009 where he sold a number of pieces – a remarkable achievement for a debut exhibition as the gallery owner recalls. Subsequent exhibitions were held at Red Gate Gallery, London (September 2009 and July 2010) and Gallerija L, Riga (April 2011). His influences range from Bosch to Banksy, Dali, H.R. Giger, Nerdrum, Kahlo, Grey, Mueck, the Chapman Brothers and John Currin. He draws upon literature, life experiences and music, primarily that of TOOL and Bob Marley.

Dan suffered bouts of depression and following a mugging incident in early 2011 in Riga experienced serious panic attacks. He took his own life on June 1st, 2011. This exhibition was planned for September 2011. He was really looking forward to it. It would have been his fifth. Dan was adamant that he wanted his art to be in the public domain and he would be a successful recognised artist and to further this we re-scheduled the exibition to April 2012.

A charity is being established in his memory. Called Anando Dan ( which means ‘Giving Joy’ in Bengali) it is intended to give underprivileged teenagers in a slum in Bangladesh the opportunity to explore creative arts and have fun.. Dan spent those same years of his life in Bangladesh and was always very concerned about those who did not have the same chances that he had. Poceeds from the exhibition will support Anando Dan

Private View is 11th April

Show Runs from 12th April to 27th of April

RSVP HERE

For more information please contact lawrence@theorangedot.co.uk

Creative emporium Over It & Co would like to invite you to an evening of celebration to launch the book, Over It & Co. Vol One, a showcase of work from London’s emerging artistic talent and an overview of the eclectic shows and exhibitions produced by Over It & Co since they started.

During the evening hosted by Over It & Co, guests can meet the some of the stars of the book including visual artist and illustrator Jennifer Crouch and graffiti designer Mark Batlow and get a sneak preview of some of their latest work. Budding art collectors also have the chance to win prints from their latest collections during their raffle.

WHEN: Wednesday 14th March 2012

(BY INVITATION ONLY – PLEASE RSVP TO LAWERENCE@THEORANGEDOT.CO.UK)

SHOW RUNS UNTILL 30TH MARCH 2012

WHERE: Orange Dot Gallery, 54 Tavistock Place, London

TIME: Drinks will be served from 6pm, arrive early as the first 25 people get a free copy of the book.

BACKGROUND: Over It & Co is a creative emporium who represent, support, and nurture an eclectic selection of painters, illustrators, tattooists and designers. Over It & Co connect artists with brands and agencies in order to produce exciting and original work across a range of diverse creative briefs. Led by creatives Suzannah Pettigrew and Charlotte Hanlon, Over It & Co produce shows and projects as well as instigating and curating collaborative ventures. For more information visit www.overitandco.com

MEET THE FOUNDERS: In the summer of 2008, Illustrator Charlotte Hanlon read an article in WAH magazine that caught her eye. It was an interview with young artist Suzannah Pettigrew – an lady on a mission to develop undiscovered talent without compromising their creativity. Charlotte liked what she saw and arranged a meeting. They quickly realised that as a team that they could successfully combine both of their creative skills to produce a platform and support system for artistically inclined people – Over It & Co was born! Suzannah’s background working for a successful print house and commercial gallery, was where she gained experince exhibiting show, events as well as pricing and selling artwork. Charlotte experince stems from her role in commerical based agency representation for both emerging and experienced illustrators. Both also studied art at university and are working on their own creative outlets along side Over It & Co.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: This book provides an overview of the artists Over It & Co represent, as well as a selection of the shows, events and exhibitions they have produced or been involved with in recent years. Over It & Co strongly feel that in a digital age the importance of seeing artwork in print has never been greater, and they’re eager to share the work of the artists with you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT NICK@THEORANGEDOT.CO.UK

We’re pleased to announce our next exhibition is landing in a couple of weeks. It’s with the truly wonderful Over It & Co. a great London based art collective.  More information in the coming days but for now head over to Over It & Co. to garner a better understanding of the talents that will be on show at the gallery from Wednesday 14th of March to Firday 30th of March.

First Edition – A Girlcore Magazine Book Launch and Exhibition

Brought to you by the music and art collective, GIRLCORE.

Girlcore is an all-female collective based in London - girlcoremag.com

Originally founded on a desire to promote international female talent in creative industries – Girlcore’s resume has grown far and beyond anything originally hoped for. Be it showcasing new DJ’s alongside the likes of veterans such as Peaches and Annie Mac, to creating a website dedicated to promoting recent flair in the visual arts. All the work done by the group is a labour of love, each member of the collective having their own careers in the creative industries. This side-project is a way of celebrating the amazing work we encounter along the way.

This exhibition launches the first edition of the collective’s art book, Girlcore Magazine. In addition, it handpicks work by some of the finest artists featured on Girlcore Magazine’s online gallery. We hope you enjoy discovering these artists as much as we have.

Aela Labbe | flickr.com/photos/aela
Boo Saville | boosaville.com
Ellen Rogers | ellenrogers.co.uk
Ina Jang | inaphotography.com
Julia Corsaro | juliacorsaro.com
Lone Eriksen | loneeriksen.com
Rachael Haines | rachaelhaines.tumblr.com
Seiko Kato | seikokato.com
Tatania Leshkina | tatianaleshkina.com
Tanya Johnston | tanyajohnston.com

Exhibition runs from 3rd- 27th February

Private View: 2nd February 6pm – 9pm
RSVP: jack@theorangedot.co.uk

RSVP

As Christmas is upon us, we’ve teamed up with some of our favourite artists to offer you a selection of affordable art prints.

Artists selling work include:

All City
Joel Clifford
Keep Calm
May 68
Michael De Feo
Puck Collective
Sunil Pawar

Stop by the gallery between the 2nd and 22nd of December and pick that perfect gift for Christmas.

2 to the Power 10
THE ORANGE DOT GALLERY
Curated by Geoffrey Harrison

PRIVATE VIEW 20 OCTOBER

BLOOMSBURY FESTIVAL: 21-23 OCTOBER

EXHIBITION RUNS FROM 21 – 29 OCTOBER

2 to the power 10 – 1024 creatives, makers, doers: 32 artists with 32 connections, all converging on Bloomsbury’s The Orange Dot Gallery for one special show.

Asked to curate an exhibition to showcase the work of contemporary Bloomsbury artists for the Bloomsbury Festival, artist Geoffrey Harrison has come up with 2 to the Power 10 - A project exploring global artistic connections to the area of Bloomsbury from the networks of 32 artists linked to the area and The Orange Dot Gallery.  Partnering with The British Postal Museum & Archive and CASS Art this project reinvigorates tangible communication, combining it with an unprecedented amount of online interaction. 2 to the Power 10 brings artists together to develop a communal art work, where none of the 32 artists will know how their composite image will look until finally displayed.

Robbies Brown Shoes

32 artists were each given a set of 32 postcards to create a large composite image and having done so, posted each card to a further 32 creative individuals.  These collaborators subsequently added their own unique touch to the cards before posting them back to The Orange Dot Gallery to be reassembled in time for the exhibition.

Postcard No. 621 Created by Andre Calado in collaboration with Katie Ghezhmani

The participating 32 artists are a broad mix of creative types. As well as fine art painters, like Geoff, there are ceramists, theatre designers, illustrators, sculptors and photographers and filmmakers, including Larissa Haily Aguado, Robbie’s Brown Shoes (Puck Collective), Zoe Wilson, Jacob Perlmutter, Ann Sorenson, Simon Last and Elaine Duigenan.

The cards have travelled as far as Tokyo, Cairo, San Francisco, Hawaii, Afghanistan and Beijing, amongst many other exotic destinations around the globe to meet notable collaborators such as;  Lizzie Stewart, Jez Burrows, Chris Ratcliffe (Garudio Studiage), Philip Booth and Viv Albright as well as NASA astronaut Leland Melvin.

The Bloomsbury Festival is a celebration of the cultural diversity of the central London community.  Hosting a free programme of over 150 events, in over 50 venues across this glorious square mile of central London.

For a more in-depth look at the work received thus far head to our Facebook Page where we’ve chronicled the arrivals at the gallery.

For further information on the Bloomsbury Festival check out their website HERE