Hello 2022!

Hello 2022! How's everyone doing? 

It's been a minute since I sat down to try and write a proper blog post after taking a little sabbatical from everything last November. I thoroughly enjoyed avoiding the Christmas rush and dropping out of circulation, avoiding what often seems like a toxic need to create content and feed the social media algorithm. I've written and deleted an entire post about the good and bad of social media, narcissist content creators, subcultures being exploited for mass appeal and general bogarting cruds who just take take take. 

My current anger extends far beyond the local stuff I usually cover but goes further and deeper into the current political state of the UK although I did focus close to home and wrote a line about Jenny Laing doing anything for a photo opportunity, ill stand by that. But its been a difficult few months with various family health issues reminding me of how fragile things can be. So instead of being sucked into a void of fruitless moaning I thought I'd kick off with some positive things and share some of the great work being done by friends.

Home sweet home!

First up we've got a new studio at The Anatomy Rooms! I say we as the space is a loose extension of Kekun Studio although it will be my main studio space. There's something magical about walking past Marischal College knowing there's a whole load of cool things happening round the back both from Jim and the new Arkade Gallery space and studio friends at City Moves Dance Studio. The building is always a buzz with people and music which makes a nice environment to work in. I've been getting settled in and finding a home for everything and trying to make sure I leave enough room to actually make art. I have a hoarders tendency to fill a space and not actually make any work but I've already finished a few new pieces and begun working on new ideas. 

I'm also catching up on old projects like the giant stamps I printed for 'Stuck Up' last year. I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome but it feels good to be making progress. Along with being in the studios we're also working on some joint ventures with All In Ideas, Jim's umbrella for the studios and Arkade and cant wait to get cracking. It'll be like the old days when I shared space in Jim's old studio space on Market Street, the 7am Jackmaster after party and exhibition parties were a lot of fun! Although we're older and wiser now so maybe it'll be cheese and wine parties instead.

We kicked off 2022 with a magical walk around Glen Muick. The water lapping at the loch side and the glorious sun returning after a bleak winter was good for the soul. Blowing out a muscle in my leg after walking 4 miles not so much. Indeed it seems like there's a ton of stuff that comes with pushing 40 that no one tells you about and years of pushing around town on my skateboard might be catching up with me. Still, with views like that you really cant complain. Check out my little Tiktok of our adventure here. 

Spectra has just wrapped up after a triumphant return to the city and it was heartwarming to see the people turn out and show their support. It's probably the busiest the streets have been since even before the pandemic with thousands happily milling around from exhibit to exhibit. Perhaps people realise how easily these things can disappear and the void we filled with Netflix requires a little bit more sustenance. My only qualm is that a weekend isn't long enough to enjoy such exhibits. But the scenes bode well for Aberdeen and its need to move away from a place to shop and becoming a place where culture is visible on the walls and streets all year round but also tucked away in basements and studios with poetry wringing out from cafes and in the spirit of Extinction Rebellion people become bother performer and protestor. I'm both hyped and exhausted by the prospect of it all!

@shedofshred when a how to becomes a how to Not! #woodwork #skateboarding #woodturning #fail #recycledskateboards #epicfail ♬ original sound - Anders

Anders at Shed of Shred recently blew up with almost 800k views for his last Tiktok video of a wood turned bowl made from old skate decks, in fact you should really give him a like & follow and me too. Out of all the socail media sites I've been enjoying Tiktok the most as it seems to throw a load of varied content at you as apposed to the 4 or 5 accounts that the Meta algorithm decides you need. I'm exposed daily to left wing commentators, American potters, social justice advocates, artists and a healthy dose of cat content. It's the random nature of it all that I enjoy, never knowing who or what ill see next! 

With exhibitions coming back I was delighted to see Kenny Hunter's show 'Sculpture Court' at Aberdeen Art Gallery. I was also lucky to catch a special talk by Kenny at Peacocks print making studio where Kenny has produced numerous prints over the years. Studio manager David McCracken kindly hosted a small group from the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums and gave us an insight into the screen printing process while Kenny gave a real over view of his work to date and the nuance and impact of public sculptures. We only had to wait a few weeks to see the new show in all its glory at the gallery, a fantastic survey of Kennys work to date along with some interesting pieces that reveal the process behind his sculptures creation. His print talk revealed the importance of words and poetry in his work with two banners hanging from the upper balcony and another text piece which reads 'FAITH IN FLUX'. The latter is also the focus of a brand new print edition released to coincide with the show. Find out more about the show and Kennys work here. 

Fine Grains are back with a new release from b l a n a l i and his 'Birds of Paradise EP'. Founder Alex Horne set up the infamous DO IT! parties which I provided the live visuals for so we go back a long way and have enjoyed many a fun night of music. One thing that always struck me about Alex is his passion for electronic music and connecting to artists, often from the leftfield which in turn led to us hosting some incredible artists like Auntie Flo & Ikonika. Alex continues this curation via Fine Grains, building a network of artists and releases that are constantly striving for rich new sounds. This latest release is no exception and the addition of a limited edition letterpress artwork is a nice touch. I've been spinning my Fine Grains vinyl at the new studio, thanks for keeping the vibes high Alex!

Day 1 of Februlage 'Cat' - cllage by Donna E Briggs

February saw the return of #februllage, a month long event where artists are invited to create a collage artwork based on the word of the day. Artists like Miss Printed have spearheaded the event along with spaces like Scandinavian Collage Museum (a shed in Norway) with Miss Printed also sending us some incredible work for Nuart Aberdeen's 'Stuck Up' event last summer. The advantages of social media are clear as we build connections to other artists around the globe which in turns helps me to feel like I'm part of something bigger and not stuck in a pigeonhole in the granite city. 

And of course we have a wealth of talent on our doorstep with recent re-emergence of Donna E Briggs on instagram filling my timeline with the most incredible and nuanced collage works. I'd met Donna through Peacocks but had no idea of her own artistic output, and that's not to say it hasn't been on show but rather social media algorithms and the promotion of artists in the city sometimes fails us, along with my own sometimes blinkered view. But she's made my month with all of her februllage works and with a recently cancelled exhibition here's hoping the universe will be working on rescheduling her show, a must visit event when it comes and one ill be shouting about!  

Flying Leaps for Nuart Aberdeen. © Clarke Joss Photography

Although UK and Scottish politics continue to be a shit show I'm glad we can push back through art and certainly folk like Flying Leaps with their political on point street paste ups and Cold War Steve on instagram not only provide that punch to the face but do it with style and some humour. We need to be able to laugh while acknowledging the serious issues of our time, especially going into 2022. This is part of the Flying Leaps paste ups from 2021 for Nuart Aberdeen on the old Indoor Market, soon to be a pile of rubble. This project was spearheaded by Adrian from Flying Leaps and paste up agitator Benjamin Irritant who did a stellar job in transforming the Green along with friends and volunteers as we attempted to create the worlds largest paste up wall!

This month has seen new music from Foals & Future Islands! We'll be heading to Glasgow in a few weeks to catch Future Islands live having seen them previously at the Beach Ballroom where they blew everyone away. From seeing that first Letterman performance on YouTube I've been a fan and their albums continue to get better and better but I'd suggest checking out older releases like 'On The Water' and 'In The Evening Air' and everything that followed them. Foals also pack a might punch live so ill be keeping an eye out for potential live dates in the future. I'm late to the party with Sam Fender but his '17 Going Under' track has been on heavy rotation, a perfect balance between life on a council estate and teenage hedonism. Choir Boy is another favourite from the last year and some choice cuts from Drab Majesty have kept my ears perked up. 

I just saw this quote and it hit home. It's the great thing about art, its ability to affect us in different ways and to draw out feelings you might not know existed. If you've ever cried because of a piece of music or had a chill down your spine looking at a painting then that's it. I've stood in some of the finest galleries in Europe and pissed myself laughing because of a painting but I've also stood in front of a Gilbert & George and felt joy and confusion. But its connection, on some level that's the key. From seeing that first Hokusai painting til now I keep finding connections to art and music which helps me find ways to express my own ideas and emotions, anger and frustrations but also love and understanding, empathy and all the other complicated feelings that can whizz around your head in the space of a minute. And I don't think you can get that range of learning from many other subjects so keep funding the arts in schools and beyond!

KMG at BSMT Space, London

It's fair to say 2021 threw some amazing opportunities my way, leading on the Nuart Aberdeen productions was a great experience and travelling to see the Arc de Triomphe Wrapped was quite special. We also made our way to London to support our friends SNIK and KMG at the  the group show 'Statement of Intent' at the lovely BSMT Space. After a big year for Katie creating not 1 but 2 giant murals for Nuart Aberdeen I was so chuffed to see he work included in the London show, a fine way to cap off the year. Seeing friends succeed is great and ill always try to shout about it. It doesn't matter how successful you are either, if you're doing good work then we should be shouting about the artists and creatives we like and admire, whether they've got 10 followers or 10,000, support your people. I can say 2021 was a pretty special year for a lot of good reasons but karma certainly came to collect for all the good things that happened. I think that's why my first draft of this blogpost was so negative as the weight of events began to press down on me. But I'm lucky to have a partner like Mary and friends like KMG who help to lift me up, never take that support for granted. 

Chillin with my boom box in 2009

And so going into 2022 I guess personal growth is gonna continue to be important but also collective growth. Ask not what your community can do for you but what you can do for your community! Collective action is always important, supporting each other with projects and not getting bogged down with cultural masterplans. The only masterplan I'm interested in was released by Oasis as a B - Side in 1995. What we need is better opportunities, better access to funding (just tell us what to write on those exasperating forms) and support in building a cultural critical mass that's not beholden to anyone and extends beyond the personal and into the communal, not just city centre but city wide showing off the vast and varied creatives that exists and have been quietly working away behind closed doors. The blueprints and many of the foundations are there, we just need that next set of visionaries, organisers and artists to step up. The DIY ethics that underpinned what me and my friends were doing 10 - 15 years ago seems to have skipped a generation in the contemporary art field but is alive and well in local skateboarding and music scenes but is perhaps lacking at the institutional level. Less art as product more art for arts sake and remember there's no fun in funding but it can help. 

So that's about it, what started as a negative tirade has become something positive I hope. This year ill be celebrating 14 years of blogging and trying to support and big up culture in the Aberdeen! 2008 seems like a long time ago, the blurry guy in the photo above seems so different from the grey specked man typing this now. I had no idea I'd still be doing the blog stuff 14 years later but as I said its opened up so many wonderful opportunities but more importantly led to some beautiful friendships. I've had a few wobbles these past few years where I think about canning off the blog to focus on other things but writing all this has reminded me about why I do it. 

It's all love 💓