'Come Together 2022' is the brainchild of artist and maker Gabriel Horne, a studio resident at Arkade Studios at The Anatomy Rooms. The idea was simple, reach out to artists from across the internet and across the studio corridor to curate and host a group show with the simple intention of coming together through art.
Simple in theory, not so simple in execution as artworks began flying in from all corners of the globe. As many will know artists and deadlines is a dangerous mix, even with the weeks of lead in time some locals still chose to drop off work at the last minute while Gabriel himself went to great lengths to print out digital works that had been sent in via email. In the lead up to the shows opening the studios became a hive of activity as the new Arkade Gallery space began to fill up along with the larger project space next door. Multiple studio residents pitched in to help get the show over the line but it became clear that things weren't going as planned. Where many would feel deflated Gabriel pushed on, tweaking and rehanging work, adjusting lighting and making sure things were how they needed to be. Repeated shouts of 'I'm not opening til its ready' rung out over the weekend as day 2 came and went with no end in sight. The joys of being an artist, curator, installer and visionary!
But on Sunday after much coffee and creative jousting 'Come Together 2022' was finally ready to open to the public! The news was broadcast over social media but being 2 days behind schedule I did wonder if people would be bothered. It's easy to let apathy slip in and to miss out on seeing exhibitions but thankfully the opposite appeared true. Almost as soon as the doors opened people came wandering in. The first thing they saw was a table laid out with thousands of old photographs and a blank sheet inviting you to create your own collage. The piece is titled 'All That Gets Left Behind' an affirmation of the forgotten family photographs that would be cut and pasted onto the wall over the coming weeks. People immediately gravitated to this and began sticking and building up a new world made from these discarded memories. All of the stress in the build up to the opening immediately disappeared and Gabriel put on his host's hat and began showing people around the other works in the show.
And there was a lot to take in! With two rooms worth of artworks to see the show was a full house but everything had its place and a delicate balance existed between gallery walls, installations and my personal favourite, the 'Last Chance Ballroom'. I say favourite but after spending time taking in the show almost every piece felt like it sat equally with the work next to it and although there was a lot to take in the show never felt over full. This is certainly something I need to learn!
The main gallery space served as a blank canvas for an eclectic mix of work including pig masks and miniature sculpture collages from David Blyth, cigar box guitars and psychedelic folk collages from Alan aka Kitchen Cynics, aduio and video work housed in a custom table from Sara Stroud, prints of alternative worlds by Hollands Jaco Putker along with unique works from Jim Ewen, Ruth Cassidy, Christ Freemantle and mini prints and sculptures by Neil Cassidy housed in their own robotic display case created by Gabe. The blocked off entrance to the gallery space was converted into a mini gallery housing the work of Australian artist Sonia Mangiapane who simple yet colourful piece is made up from photographic paper offcuts from her various darkroom experiments.
Next door the once bare project room has also be transformed playing host to multiple installations and a dedicated film theatre which also doubled up as stage for musical performances from the Kitchen Cynics and Admlithi. I was only able to make 1 of the events but was quite struck by how the non descript project room could be warped into an experimental sound lab as the synthwave textures rang out from Admlithi's vintage amp. The show was followed by videos by Steffan Ib Nielsen, a fine mixture of the sublime and the bizarre with titles like 'Eleven Ways To Excuse A Shitty Island' with its cut and paste green screen effects, very much in keeping with the shows collage theme and dare I say an unintended reflection of Brexit. Through out the show the films of Oslerbec Dindo, Rowan Katie MacDonald.
As you entered the project room your almost confronted by artworks by Gabriel, Joseph Buhat, Ari Funkhaus and Zazz Hands. The walls explode with colour while behind you a double jointed lamp sits on a plinth, complete with two arms but only 1 lamp shade. The piece is stuck in a perpetual push and pull while neither can illuminate. Across the way giant silver stars and blue & red drapes frame work by American collage artist Derrick Tyson while Xander Campbell's piece reads like Russian constructivist poster with some added Jamie Reid. Eric Brink's 'Ai Way To Hell' and assorted works made me chuckle added some humour to the show as well although the collage format lends itself well to the creation of funny or ironic imagery. A sharp left confronts us with a different take with a piece created in situ by Rory Barclay which 'depicts the collapse of the artists life over a 314 day period'.
Another sharp left reveals beautiful work by Adolphus Washington draws from the aesthetics of black America. The framing of a trumpet complete with American flag conjures many mixed emotions when thinking about the experiences of black and ethnic groups in America over the last 300 years with stats and figures revealing that very little has changed, the police state continues to prevail. Parallel to these works you find intricate miniature stage sets photographed by Rhode Islander Chris Freund. The miniature scenes are alive with drama and theatre of the surreal. This of course leads nicely into the final quadrant of the show with a special homage to 'the king of elevator music' James Last. A wall of his various record covers leads nicely into the 'Last Chance Big Band Ballroom' where the exhibition ends with the work of fellow German Gregor Russ. It's almost a suprise that you can't step through the golden curtain into another room or exhibition having already gone through so many unique and interesting exhibits.
Despite so much art the show never felt overwhelming, again testament to Gabriel’s keen curatorial eye and dedication to showing the work in the best way possible. Seeing spaces as a blank canvas and being able to disguise and transform them is a talent in itself and proved to be a vital element for Come Together which might be the best exhibition of 2022. And it was done on a shoestring budget. It incorporated work from around the world and from local artists alike, gave people the chance to get involved and to play as we did at the robot building workshop and on the collage wall. With good art, music, food, play and community, I think the show was a success and even the hurdles during the first few days saw studio residents rally around to lend their support, perhaps the truest sense of coming together, collectively helping a fellow creative achieve something great.
I was going to finish up with a photo of Gabriel sitting in his studio looking exhausted but as he's always stated the show isn't about him so it seems fitting to let the artworks speak for themselves but there's no doubt in my mind that it was Gabriel's vision that brought it all together. Perhaps the most important message came from a mirror hung between spaces which proclaimed 'The real art is right here'. I looked in the mirror and agreed! For more information about the artists involved be sure to check out the Come Together Instagram feed here.
