The boy and I went along to Pick Me Up at Somerset House yesterday afternoon; the first contemporary graphic art fair in the UK, and I have to say, it exceeded our expectations. It smelt of paper and ink and making things, which is always a good start(!) and there was some great young talent there, but most exciting of all was Rob Ryan‘s studio, which had decamped there in its entirety…
I had no idea his work on this scale was hand-cut; it was quite incredible to watch.
The studio was a real inspiration, they’d literally moved the lot over from their regular studios to Somerset house, right down to the sometimes daft things stuck on the wall, but it was wonderful to have a peek at how their minds and their creative processes work. Creative review conducted a charming interview with Mr Ryan, which can be viewed via their website. He seemed mostly concerned about the lack of tea, and in fact was in charge of the music when we visited!
I also loved the work of up-and-coming artist James Joyce, which I’ve seen before, but has real punch in the flesh.
Overall a fab exhibition, but sadly now finished. More pictures on my Flickr photostream.
Links:
http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual_arts/pick_me_up/
http://www.one-fine-day.co.uk/
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/
