Same time this week I was rushing around and getting ready for the opening night for the fourth Artist Takeover at Queens House Showcase run by ENRG Hull.
It clearly has been a challenging experience, since it has taken me a full week to man up and write the blog post about the exhibition and opening night.
Over the past year I’ve been building a bond with Creative ENRG Hull. family. It started as few artist workshop photography assignments, ENRG Hull ambassador filming with Fly girl Films and being interviewed myself for few times as one of the people who had help setting up a creative business.
Over several months in 2018 Queens House Showcase featured in my monthly blogs of culture wonders in Hull with exhibitions and other ARTIST TAKEOVERS.
It was a slow but steady friendship and as the result I was asked to be part of the last ARTIST TAKEOVER of the programme.
We were asked to exhibit work around Landscape and from that point on the whole experience took a twist that I was not exactly ready for.
I am known for certain work – Hull based, bright, happy, celebratory and creative events, festivals, client work and so on.. and to show to a very public eye a slice HOME GLORY series felt strange. Even today when it has been a week and I am already planning activities throughout exhibition it feels out of the character.
There was uncertainty of how people will embrace the work I’m exhibiting and the story I am trying to tell.
The work exhibited focuses on Latvia in the 21st Century and the derelict landscape across the countryside due to migration to cities and abroad. I say “focuses” because I found that the landscape my eye can catch is different to a standard scenery landscape.
Every time I visit Latvia, especially past three years, I feel the urge to bring my professional gear and eye and capture the home land. It varies from silly set ups, to portraits with photogenic friends, to travels and explorations, often focus is close to my family members and family home/land. It is a another dimension of thought process that I don’t often get chance to use in the UK and the imagery has got special place in my photographic collection.
The exhibition includes five photographs and installation that aims to engage on more than one level with the viewers. The installation includes a special diary that my sister wrote me whilst living in one of the remote regions of Latvia and a newspaper article from 1992 that my grandmother passed on to me few years ago.
The other two artists exhibiting are Nigel Walker and Pierino Hristov.
Photographer Nigel Walker lives in East Yorkshire and has been making photographs for over fifty years. Most recently he has been concerned with why he takes them and how they are used. He supports the postulation that meaningful photography should comprise of geography, autobiography and metaphor.For Artist Takeover #4 he presents a new body of work, ‘Say Something’, which considers the distance between current generations and seeks to encourage a reconciliation through communication. The East Coast signals a border and semaphore a way of telling – a concept, an idea and a cipher as much as a means. At 17 years old, the model, Olivia, is on the cusp of moving into the responsibilities of adulthood. How will she choose to make her world and negotiate with others who have made it? How will she and her generation change it, preserve it and mould it for themselves? This collection of works explores this challenge …Nigel will be in the gallery on Wednesday 13th February, join us for refreshments and cake & chat to Nigel about his work. He’ll also be giving an in depth talk about ‘Say Something’ and other projects at 6 pm on Wednesday 20th February – see you there!
A Bulgarian artist now resident in Hull, Pierino uses a vibrant palette to combine traditional and contemporary motifs in celebration of enduring heritages and landscapes. Using digital approaches and inspired by the flower filled terrains of northern Bulgaria, his complex arrangements of florals, colours and patterns echo shared traditions of quilting & stitching. Producing a fresh and contemporary fusion of familiar forms, his carefully constructed arrangements reflect the changing seasons and their moods. Influenced by David Hockney’s digital palettes, works are conceived to bring joyful and uplifting affects into everyday experience.
Source: ENRG website
Before I am getting into the opening night, I want to say massive thank you to Christoper Hopkins and Gill Hobson. Both pushed me to dive deep and helped to make the most of the opportunity.
Massive shout out to Ditto 4 Design Printing – they are the best printing company I worked with across the board. They saved my day twice and the delivery of images was super quick.
On the day of the opening I was still finishing up the display that involved searching for rubble, polishing up the artwork and figuring out what to expect.
With no major expectations and excitement to meet the other two artist the night began on a really positive note.
It made me very happy to see faces of John Gilbert, Oliver Fisher+familiar faces. Thank you to previous artists exhibiting Emma Garness and Lucy Kelly. Thank you for coming and making me feel happy.
In the following weeks I will be present at the gallery come and say hello!
- 22nd February – THAT FRIDAY FEELING – free photo booth and chat with me
- 28th February – HOME GLORY in conversation with me
- 7th March – FREE PHOTO BOOTH AND WE WILL BE DOING A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT OR SEARCH FOR YOUR TOUCHSTONES AND TALISMANS – I invite all my friends and family to come along and take part!
- 14th March – last day of the exhibition – come in, say hello and tell us what you thought of the exhibition.
Also if you would like to read my contribution to the Creative ENRG and ENRG Hull project, click here:
In Conversation with Anete Sooda Photo
The 
The sounds of the radio waves, sound snippets from Latvian or Russian news, old songs and Justin Bieber’s recent song Despasito. Then the poetry started to flow, complimenting the sounds [or other way round]. The poems where read in Russian, translated in English on the screen [with few delays], so it was a multi-all experience.
