Playing With A Shadow
Playing With A Shadow – Mixed Media Group Art Exhibition
At a glance:
Artists: Aleksandras Aleksejevas (sculptor and painter), Alma Alex (photographer), Marianne Raye (illustrator)
When: now until 28 October, Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm
Where: Lumen URC, 88 Tavistock Place, WC1H 9RS London (Nearest Tube Russell Square)
Curator: Anna Kulisheva
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Playing-with-a-Shadow-Art-Exhibition/178724182203545
Contacts: Anna Kulisheva – anna.gb@hotmail.co.uk or Thomas Evans – thomasashleyevans@gmail.com
Part of the Bloomsbury Festival 22-23 October 2011
A portion of the proceeds to be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
Theme – Childhood and Memory:
In Adelbert Von Chamisso's story The Shadowless Man (1814), a deal with the Devil results in a man selling his shadow and becoming a social outcast. He can no longer exist in society and the only connection with his past is his memory.
Our recollection of events past distort with time, altering our perception of places, people, and experiences. In this way, they resemble the play of light on an object that can leave multiple shadows and impressions.
Memories from childhood often resurface over a lifetime to tantalise and, at times, haunt us. These bursts of nostalgia are perhaps the most potent, offering a glimpse into our core identity.
Shadow and memory are our constant companions and provide fertile ground for artistic expression. In this exhibition three practitioners from Russia and Lithuania explore this theme within the mediums of painting, photography and sculpture.
Artist Profiles:
Aleksandras Aleksejevas is a London-based Lithuanian sculptor and painter. He currently works as a freelance art tutor while studying for a PhD at Prince's School of Traditional Arts in London. Aleksandras has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and Russia, with many pieces in private collections and museums. He is an Associate Member of The Royal British Society of Sculptors and a Member of The British Association of Iconographers. In Playing with a Shadow, Aleksandras presents a series of sculpture depicting children, a triptych called The Family Album, and a series of paintings called The Paper Ship. Here, a folded piece of paper reflects a memory of childhood adventure.
Alma Alex is a freelance photographer, specialising in photojournalism and reportage. She graduated with a degree in Fine Art in Kaunas, Lithuania, having developed a passion for photography. This has enabled her to apply the skills of composition, space, colour and shape within her camera-work. Recently, her interest in documenting reality has lead her to directing a short film. In Playing with a Shadow, Alma presents a series of photographic experiments with light and shadow. Within her images a shadow becomes an illusion for our subconscious.
Marianne Raye is a young artist, illustrator and writer. Her main interest lies in illustrating children's books in a traditional style – with oil, acrylic and watercolour paints, ink, pen and pencil. Marianne also writes her own stories for children and creates illustrations for them. A recent publication includes Olis and the Big Outside. In Playing with a Shadow, Marianne presents a series of illustrations to the children's book The Little Prince.