www.anthonypeskine.com
What is the underlying theme of your work? My work is about trying to live through promises and being disillusioned by having to live through broken promises. The fact there is so much disappointment in the work is that it’s based on promises, the promises in adverts, and in religion and pretty much everywhere. The promises that surround us, I’m just trying to fulfil them and by making these artworks I realise it’s just not possible, so from the promises comes disillusionment. What’s your favorite colour? Orange. What’s the best exhibition you’ve ever been to? In The Darkest Hour May There Be Light, curated by Damien Hirst at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park. If you could be any other artist, alive or dead, who would you be? The Gorrilaz, all at once, because they don’t exist and are quite successful.
www.tether.org.uk
What kind of art do you make? I endeavour to make beautiful, exciting, abstract paintings. My work exhibits an emphasis on surface texture, layering and visual depth, where colours and amalgamated forms jostle and surge in competition. My paintings borrow from a wide range of sources for inspiration and focus loosely upon my experiences of city living, in terms of form and colour. What are the advantages of being a Nottingham artist? There is a lot of support available in Nottingham for emerging artists. Not being from the city originally, it’s been vital for me to find people with whom I can network, and belonging to Tether studios has been instrumental in this. Being part of a thriving arts community is one of the most important things that an artist can do, as it not only opens doors, it creates a sense of belonging and can be extremely rewarding. Apart from that, Nottingham is a vibrant city, with loads going on, and this in itself can be very inspiring. What’s your favourite colour? My favourite colour has been purple for as long as I can remember.
Favourite subject other than art? Pop music and supermarkets.
www.tether.org.uk
www.egb7.com
What kind of art do you make? Ladybird book science projects, geeky electronics, short films, 2D animation, music, photography, LP sleeves, posters and sketchbooks.
What kind of art do you make? I make drawings and paper sculptures through which I try to articulate my fear of the mysterious internal workings of my body. What’s the best exhibition you have ever been to? Aberdeen University has an amazing historical anatomical model collection – with some incredible objects up there, such as giant Victorian papier maché snails and fleas which you can take apart and look inside. Biology was the one science subject I enjoyed at school, but I was too squeamish to take part in dissections. They also have a collection of beautiful glass jellyfish made by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, who made costume jewellery and glass eyes for wealthy clients in the 1880s. I love that crossover between slightly squeamish and highly decorative. I think they’re amazing both as learning tools and as fantastical objects. Tell us about a recent project … I’ve got a group show coming up at the old Angel Row Gallery in Nottingham (9-23 July). Finishing the work for this is my main priority at the moment and is giving me many sleepless nights! I am making a series of large paintings on paper which imagine what would happen if my insides suddenly made themselves visible on the outside.
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www.leftlion.co.uk/issue29
What’s the best exhibition you have ever been to? Janet Cardiff’s Forty-Part Motet at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield in 2004. The piece was a forty-channel playback on individual speakers of a choir performing Spem in alium by Thomas Tallis. The arrangement of the gallery allowed for you to wander freely, hearing individual voices from each speaker close up, or to stand in the centre of it all in awe of the huge polyphonic sound being created. Every part of the work served a functional purpose as well as possessing a stark sculptural presence in the space. It was an incredibly successful piece of contemporary art. What’s your favourite subject other than art? Definitely film. I love the experience of the cinema, I find the format so alluring. My favourite director is Kenji Mizoguchi – The Life Of Oharu is genius. www.egb7.com
This issue’s Artist Profiles has been curated by Liam Aitken of the Tether studio group. A collective started by Nottingham Trent graduates in July 2007, Tether is a creative hub for Nottingham artists to convene within the city centre. The artists selected are either studio members, artists who have exhibited at Tether’s Wasp Room gallery or are otherwise affiliated with the group.