For The Lovely Eggs being in a band is a way of life. It’s about art. It’s about creativity and expression. It’s about following your own path, doing things your own way and it’s about doing what you want. And it’s about taking the longest song you’ve written to date and releasing it as a single! “Nothing/Everything” is the UK psych-punk duo’s latest single, available at midnight digitally and on limited-edition yellow 7” vinyl.

The track arrives with a video created by contemporary visual artists Wood and Harrison, who are best known for their works of physical minimalist performance, exhibiting in Tate, MoMA, and Centre Pompidou.

Lifted from the band’s forthcoming Eggsistentialism album, due out May 17, new single clocks in at just over seven-minutes and is nothing short of The Lovely Eggs magnum opus about life. It’s gorgeously melodic, uplifting yet melancholic, and sparkling with psychedelic glitter.

“’Nothing/Everything’ is the Yin/Yang of life,” explains singer Holly Ross. “There’s hope and despair, patience and frustration, the mundane and the extraordinary. There is a universal and eternal magic within the everyday world around us that needs to be recognised, especially when the chips are down. This song is simply what is. It’s not looking forward or back. It’s us now. It’s uplifting and it’s tragic.”

We are huge fans of Wood and Harrison,” adds Holly. “As soon as we discovered their work, we felt an immediate connection with what they were doing and drew parallels between what they seemed to be expressing through their art with what we are trying to achieve through music. We had such a clear vision that they had to make the video for ‘Nothing/Everything’. We love their work and we’re so glad that they could be involved.”

We are a duo; The Lovely Eggs are a duo. Two add two makes four apparently. That makes sense. We make everything ourselves; they make everything themselves. But us making a video for a song they made made sense. It’s a beautiful song,” state Wood and Harrison.

“Nothing/Everything” is released April 26 as a limited edition 7” on yellow vinyl with more out of this world artwork by illustrator Casey Raymond. The A-side features the full 7-minute 02s second opus, while the flip features a single edit cut. Pre-order here.

In true Lovely Eggs style, every 7” copy bought direct from the band’s website will include a limited-edition collectible mystery scratch card. What will you win? Nothing? Or Everything? Designed by Dead Human and made in collaboration with artists Wood and Harrison, each scratch card will contain a hidden message alongside a secret code, the meaning of which will be revealed in the fullness of time!

Once again, the album was recorded by the band at home in Lancaster with production work from Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips/Tame Impala). They flew to America in December 2023 to mix the album in Fridmann’s studio in upstate New York and the results are without doubt the most expansive, mind-melting ten songs the band have delivered yet.

Operating in a world when true authenticity is hard to find, The Lovely Eggs are one of the most exciting, innovative and genuine bands around. Welcome to their world. Welcome to Eggland.

Eggsistentialism track-listing:

01. Death Grip Kids

02. Nothing/Everything

03. Meeting Friends at Night

04. People TV

05. My Mood Wave

06. I Don’t F*cking Know What I’m Gunna Do

07. Memory Man

08. Things

09. Echo You

10. I am Gaia

Photo credit: Darren Andrew

Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) will open its doors to the public on April 27 to introduce the arts to those who want to give them a try.

Through various workshops, the public of all ages can participate on April 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“We are on the equity committee at school and we decided that we would like the arts to be more equitable and accessible for people in Huron County,” said Julie Gillam, head of the arts department. “In Perth, we have a little bit more, but in Huron, we don’t have a lot of accessibility to the different types of art. We thought why not open the schools up for people in the community?”

Gillam said the Community Arts Exploration event is open to all ages, from elementary students, all the way up to seniors.

“[Participants] may either choose between one of two visual art workshops, which are clay hand-building or printmaking, or they may choose two of the music and drama workshops,” she said. “there’s a percussion workshop, a masks workshop, and an improvisation workshop.”

The full two hours will either be spent in the art room, or between the music and drama rooms.

“We just want [the community] to be exposed to the arts,” said Gillam. “We think it’s a huge part of education and we feel sometimes the arts are less credited in the education system. We’ve got a lot of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and we really want there to be STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics).”

Another goal of the day is to show community members that there are jobs in the sector as well, something Gillam said is a common misconception.

“We just got back from a trip to Europe this year with the kids and of course, we saw tons of artwork,” she said. “We even went to the Harry Potter studio in Warner Brothers Studios outside of London, England. Obviously, with the invention of computers and the internet, visual arts have changed. But, visual arts are very prominent in our filmmaking, webpage design, and drama is very prominent when it comes to those things as well.”

Gillam added that many students today suffer from anxiety and once they break out into the workforce, depending on the career path especially, speaking in front of others is a necessary skill. Something that’s learned and developed from taking part in the class.

“You have to be comfortable speaking,” said Gillam. “I think drama is a great way for young people to get involved in a fun way. Drama is different than theatre. Drama is about participation, it’s about learning skills that you can utilize in other aspects of your life, not just becoming a theatre performer.”

Anyone who wants to take part can contact the school at chsoffice@ed.amdsb.ca.

The American Academy in Rome has awarded its 2024–25 Rome Prizes to 31 American artists and scholars, including six visual artists. The winning artists include video and performance artist Lex Brown; photographers Matthew Connors, Nona Faustine, and Richard Mosse; and installation artists Devon Dikeou and Sheila Pepe.

This year, a record-breaking 1,106 Americans applied for the annual prize, which has an average acceptance rate of 2.6 percent. Winners are invited to live for five to ten months at the Academy’s 11-acre campus in Rome, with a supplementary stipend and workspace. Today, the recipients will be honored at a prize ceremony and concert in New York.

“The Rome Prize winners represent a bridge between the United States and Italy, but also between a present of potential and a future of achievement,” said Peter N. Miller, the president of the American Academy in Rome. This year’s visual arts winners were selected by artists Patricia Cronin, James Casebere, E. V. Day, Abigail DeVille, Gary Simmons, and curator Catherine J. Morris.

Lex Brown is inspired by poetry and science fiction to confront the dark realities of the Information Age. A lecturer in visual arts at Princeton University, the 35-year-old artist addresses themes of self-reflection and political discourse through her provocative video and performance works. Meanwhile, Matthew Connors, a professor of photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, is recognized for his experimental approach to documentary photography.

Irish conceptual photographer Richard Mosse uses his medium to address sociopolitical and environmental turmoil, challenging the notion of the “documentary image.” Brooklyn-based photographer Nona Faustine focuses on urgent contemporary issues, such as identity, representation, and racial and gender stereotypes, and is currently the subject of a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum.

Devon Dikeou, the editor of the long-running art publication zingmagazine, is celebrated for her conceptual, site-specific work, in which she reclaims regular objects for immersive installation projects. Similarly, surreal artist and feminist activist Sheila Pepe is known for site-specific installations created from domestic and industrial materials. These works, which the artist describes as “improvisational crochet,” are web-like installations that range from gallery-sized pieces to smaller designs that fit in the crevices of a room.

Notable prior recipients of the Rome Prize include James Casebere, Autumn Knight, and Todd Gray.

The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is proud to announce the opening of Art School Confidential, a group exhibition commemorating fifty years of visual arts at the University of Ottawa. The exhibition showcases the work of fifty artists who have contributed to the rich artistic legacy of the institution.

In 1974, the University welcomed Suzanne Rivard Le Moyne, a renowned artist, educator, and administrator, to lead the Department of Visual Arts. With her visionary leadership, Rivard Le Moyne assembled a remarkable team of artists and art historians. Together, they laid the foundation for the Department of Visual Arts and set the stage for five decades of artistic innovation and excellence.

“The University of Ottawa is proud to call the Ottawa Art Gallery a friend, and it is the inspiring artists and scholars we have shared and continue to share that has fed our friendship. This exhibit highlights the work of those who have studied and taught in the uOttawa Visual Arts program; many who have gone on to make important contributions to the art world.”—Jacques Frémont, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ottawa

From installations, photography, painting, digital arts, and more, Art School Confidential: Celebrating 50 Years of the Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa, curated by Penny Cousineau-Levine, celebrates the impact of uOttawa’s Department of Visual Arts on the city’s art scene and beyond. The exhibition presents the extraordinary talent and accomplishments of the artists associated with it, representing faculty members and alumni who have studied and taught in the historic building at 100 Laurier East in Ottawa. The group exhibition is presented in the context of a lasting collaboration between the Ottawa Art Gallery and UOttawa.

“Now spanning close to 15 years, the partnership between our two institutions has played a vital role in shaping the cultural landscape of Ottawa and nurturing the next generation of artists, curators, and cultural leaders. We are delighted to once again collaborate with our neighbour the Department of Visual Arts to highlight the artistic accomplishments of its faculty and alumni, commemorating fifty years of creativity.”—Alexandra Badzak, Director and CEO, Ottawa Art Gallery

Over the years, the unique relationship between OAG and uOttawa has provided numerous professional opportunities for students and graduates alike. The Gallery annually presents an exhibition of graduates from the University of Ottawa’s Master of Fine Arts program, celebrating two years of studio work under the supervision of professors from the university’s Visual Arts Department. These exhibitions are co-curated by an OAG Curator and Contemporary Art Theory Masters students. Through the generous support of the RBC Foundation for OAG’s Connect mentorship program, MFA artists are matched with seasoned professionals during the exhibition process. This collaboration provides emerging artists a platform to establish themselves within the local community, the art world and the cultural industry.

The public is invited to the opening of Art School Confidential on April 25th, from 6:30-8pm. The exhibition runs from April 20 to September 22 on the 3rd floor of the Ottawa Art Gallery. Admission is always free.

Listings information:

Exhibition:
Art School Confidential: Celebrating 50 Years of the Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa
Curator: Penny Cousineau-Levine
Dates: April 20–September 22, 2024
Vernissage: April 25, 2024
Ottawa Art Gallery, level 3

Artists:
A Fine Discipline, Edmund Alleyn, Rebecca Bair, Michael Belmore, Geneviève Cadieux, Alexandre Castonguay, Lynne Cohen, Heidi Conrod, Sylvain Cousineau, Max Dean, Pierre Dorion, Josée Dubeau, AM Dumouchel, Rah Eleh, Evergon, Rosalie Favell, Charles Gagnon, Chantal Gervais, Lorraine Gilbert, Martin Golland, Trevor Gould, Michel Goulet, Peter Gnass, Jacques Hurtubise, Zainab Hussain, Germaine Koh, Shelby Lisk, Kenneth Lochhead, Ken Lum, Gavin Lynch, Jennifer Macklem, Deborah Margo, Julia Martin, Andrew Morrow, Ron Noganosh, Gunter Nolte, Roland Poulin, Leslie Reid, Catherine Richards, Jean-Jacques Ringuette, Suzanne Rivard Le Moyne, Denis Rousseau, Amy Schissel, Michael Schreier, Cindy Stelmackowich, Laura Taler, Carol Wainio, Justin Wonnacott, Andrew Wright, Jinny Yu

Event:
What Does Art School Do?
Panel, April 28, from 1-2:30pm, FREE
Ottawa Art Gallery, level 3
Register here

Join us for a live panel discussion linked to the OAG’s current exhibitions Art School Confidential: Celebrating 50 Years of the Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa (Level 3) and Spanning the Divide: Art from the University of Ottawa Department of Visual Arts 2023 (Level 4).
With artists Rebecca Bair, Martin Golland, Cara Tierney, Sarah Tompkins and Jinny Yu, and art historian Anna Paluch.
Moderated by Art School Confidential curator Penny Cousineau-Levine.

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The Ottawa Art Gallery is situated on traditional Anishinābe Aki and is Ottawa’s municipal art gallery and cultural hub. Located in Ottawa’s downtown core, the expanded Gallery is a contemporary luminous cube designed by KPMB Architects and Régis Côté et associés. Gallery hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays are from 10am-6pm, while Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are from 10am-9pm. OAG is closed on Mondays.

Through April 21, the visual arts B.A. thesis exhibition ARACHNIDAE showcased the work of eight undergraduate artists who will be graduating this June. A curiously woven patchwork of materials, moods, and moments, each piece stood simultaneously on its own, within its artist’s collection of works, and in the midst of the exhibition as a whole.

Some of the pieces are literal patchworks. Julia Fennell’s paintings are done on sewn-together pieces of canvas, mosaics of psychedelic colors. They are a strange kind of nostalgic, depicting living rooms and childhood beds and butterflies. Wide angles and exaggerated proportions unbalance and reframe the world. Something is just beyond reach—or perhaps is just coming into being among the swirls of paint.

A large, column-like structure stood in the middle of the room with paintings on each of its four sides. Some of those paintings were Jordan Yi’s works. Evocative of mythology and fantastical worlds with a distinctly gory tint, the oil paintings feature hares, birds, and other animals. There is a current of indistinct violence and ominous energy that runs through the paintings, which unsettles the softness, elegance, and, frankly, cuteness of Yi’s animal subjects. Looking at the works, I’m pulled into a kind of captivating quiet chaos—into a world I can’t quite understand, but that I feel compelled to look deeper into.

The exhibition also featured a striking array of other artistic media beyond painting. Isabella Diefendorf’s evocative sculptures and installations were scattered throughout the room. Suspended from the ceiling, foraged branches are held by strings of yarn in a delicately balanced structure reminiscent of spiderwebs. Some branches, two with the translucent halo of a disc caught between their tips, wave shadows on a wall. An entire world is distilled into a jar filled with rainwater that has run off a work of chalk art. Diefendorf’s work seems to bring the outside back in, capturing and recreating natural phenomena in a new form.

Natalie Jenkins offers another take on sculpture. Blurring the line between artificiality and nature, Jenkins’s works often juxtapose natural forms with sharp, geometric lines. Roots and bark and stones are pinned against grids, and yet seem unable to be contained by these grids. Cacti carved of insulation foam stand in buckets, awash in a sea of overflowing sand. Time, in a way, is suspended, and growth and change held in place for a moment.

I was halfway around the room when I noticed the black curtain on one side of the center column. Some of the sounds I’d heard when I entered the exhibition emanated from within. Behind the curtain was the pocket of experience that Otis Gordon created. In the corners of the dim space are cylindrical lanterns, translucent with distorted faces printed on them. They cast a flickering, obscure, orange-tinted light on oil paintings of buildings and more faces. One of them, with its spectacled eye warped as if through a fisheye lens, peers down at me. I feel on edge, out of place—a newcomer in a cold, unsettling city. There is the sound of wind, a static buzzing, soft music, and noises that sound like crying or laughing or maybe the screaming of an animal. I am both relieved and reluctant to escape back through the black curtain from Gordon’s immersive and alien world to the bright white walls of the rest of the exhibition.

Marbling through some of that whiteness were the drawings of K. Thornburgh-Mueller. Pages of white card paper are covered in lines that are a little like human or animal figures, a little like faces, and a little like nebulae all at the same time, held up with metal screws and bars over one wall. The lines strain against the bars with the same sense of motion and ephemerality as birds in flight. Another one of Thornburgh-Mueller’s drawings is done on a handmade sheet of paper taller than a person. The work truly embodies the word “battered”—it is pockmarked with holes and torn edges, dark tendrils wisping across the surface in a melancholy fashion.

Thornburgh-Mueller’s black and white drawings were contrasted by the neon green and burgundy color scheme of one of Leah Chappell’s oil paintings. A medical patient with a device strapped to their head stares at the viewer from within a slime-colored doctor’s office. The device is connected by artery-like wires to a monitor. What’s going on? Chappell’s disquieting piece leaves us with more questions than it answers. Another of Chappell’s paintings portrays a pale, beheaded sculptural figure reminiscent of a Hellenistic marble, albeit with its color scheme, posture, and body proportions not altogether right, combining to be just a little eerie.

As I was about to leave the exhibition, I noticed the little theater tucked near the entrance. Yisong Tang’s “Tars, Ears, and the East,” the only work of film in the exhibition, was playing inside. “Alright, let’s start over again,” says a voice in Chinese at the beginning of the film, as if self-conscious of the work’s own looping repetition. Son and father commence counting through the multiplication table, each number they recite marking the passage of time as memories and rhythms of emotion weave into one another. Music flows throughout the film, but there is a conspicuous absence of talking outside the steady pace of the times tables—there is much, perhaps too much, left unsaid as the pair within the film inhabit their tense bubble of a universe. The camera roves across dark trails of filled-in cracks in the asphalt and lingers on the two faces of father and son. Tang’s portrayal of this relationship is both universal, yet intensely personally and culturally anchored.

As a whole, ARACHNIDAE was somewhat disorienting, but full of variety and personality and      plenty of surprises to stumble upon. And, as the exhibition website describes, it captures a moment in time for each of the eight student artists—like “the fleeting instance when a fresh spiderweb catches the sunlight and glimmers like fire.”

An art auction and show will raise funds for the Andrew Cassell Foundation (ACF), this weekend, in memory of keen Isle of Wight sailor, John Garlick.

The Fairwinds Fine Art Exhibition and Sale, at Cowes Yacht Haven, will run from Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28.

Opening night and the auction itself is on Friday, at Cowes Yacht Haven, from 6.30pm to 9pm.

The ticketed event will see auctioneer John Nelson overseeing the sale of work by 13 artists, including landscapes, sculpture and mixed media.

On Saturday and Sunday, the show continues, with a chance to view and buy more art, with a percentage of anything sold also being donated to ACF.

John, who was a keen art connoisseur, died in 2021 before his dream could be realised.

His wife and daughter, Susan and Caroline stepped in to make it happen and this will be their second auction.

They hope to build on the success of the first, which raised more than £4,400.

 

Commission bids will be accepted until midday on Friday, April 26, via fairwinds-art@acfsailing.org

Work by Chris Gillies, Loren Thorne, Martin Swan, Lyndy Moles, Julie Sajous, Gillian Clark, Peter Allen, Juliet Collins, Sally Pengelly, Andy Fortune, Becky Samuelson, Tony Westmore and Angela Sowden will feature.

A poet, a visual artist and a musician have each been awarded £25,000 to each create a brand new piece of art for Cumbria over the next 10 months.

More than two hundred artists from across the UK submitted applications as part of the Catalyst creative residencies in Cumbria project, a unique collaboration between Art Gene in Barrow, the University of Cumbria, and Cumbria Arts and Culture Network. The call out was launched on 5 February. 

Funding is being provided by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) as a way of promoting the county, its nature, industry and heritage through the creation of a new piece of art or experience.

Following a rigorous selection process focused on a brief of interpreting modern-day Cumbria, and raising the visibility and profile of the county as a unique, innovative and creative place to be based and develop a creative career, three artists have been selected.

Emma McGordon is originally from West Cumbria and is a multi-award-winning poet and performer. She says:

“Being awarded the residency confirms for me that opportunities for artists are starting to open up in Cumbria. I’m glad to be part of this journey and interested to see where it takes us all. My work has been around poetry and spoken word. I am going to use this residency to do something a little bit different and get the people, the words and the landscapes that have been dominant features of my work, on film.”

Azraa Motala is a visual artist with a base in Preston and Greater Manchester. She says:

“I am thrilled to have been awarded one of the Catalyst creative residencies. The support will be critical to the development of my career as an emerging artist. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to share my work with communities in Cumbria and for the support, time and resources the award offers. This will enable me to make work that resonates across various layers of society, hopefully fostering meaningful impact and dialogue.”

Jack McNeill is a Kendal-based orchestral musician, solo clarinettist and musical director. He says:

“After investing a lot of time and energy into the proposal, the selection process has been an emotional ride! I am thrilled to be given this opportunity, and bristling with new energy. It’s the turning of a key in terms of returning home to Cumbria after working away, and now working creatively here. My project places Cumbria at the heart of a global drama, from a future just around the corner. Cumbria is a privileged place in so many ways, and one where our collective voices can animate the landscape, ringing for change and empathy.”

Above: Jack McNeill, who has been awarded a Catalyst: Creative Residency in Cumbria. Picture: Mark Battista

The three artists were selected through a rigorous and highly competitive process. Applications were received from 235 artists from all over the UK. A panel of experienced cultural leaders and artists created first a longlist of 30 artists, and finally a shortlist of 20, 11 of whom were called for interview.

Kate Parry, Chair of the Selection Panel said:

“We were absolutely delighted with the response to our call for proposals. It was an incredibly rewarding and rich experience to read them all, and extremely challenging to narrow it down to 11 artists to interview.  The final panel decision was unanimous, however, and we’re really excited now to support three such ambitious, different artists on their Catalyst creative journey. This is a chance for each artist to uniquely interpret Cumbria.”

The three artists will begin their residencies this month, culminating in presenting their new work in early 2025. To stay up to date with their progress please stay in touch with the Cumbria Arts and Culture Network via their newsletter which is free to sign up for on their website (see below).

The panel members: 

Chair: Kate Parry, Chair of Cumbria Arts and Culture Network

Dr Colette Conroy, University of Cumbria

Maddi Nicholson, Artist/Founder & Director, Art Gene, Barrow

Andrew Deakin, Programme Director, Full of Noises, Barrow 

Fiona Venables, Director, Milton Keynes Arts Centre

Sui Annukka, London-based, award-winning writer

The organisations involved:

Cumbria Arts and Culture Network www.cacn.co.uk

Art Gene https://www.art-gene.co.uk/

University of Cumbria https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/

Cumbria LEP https://www.thecumbrialep.co.uk/

This phase was not just about honing her skills but also searching for self-assurance in a world she had been part of since her earliest memories. A pivotal moment in her journey was her participation in a challenging Chinese ink painting competition. Eunice vividly described the experience: “I went to Tsing Yi Sports Ground to paint. It was summer, so it was quite hot. I was painting a Chinese ink painting outdoors.”

Taking part in a Chinese ink painting competition was a pivotal moment in Eunice’s journey. Photo: Shutterstock

The competition presented unique challenges, particularly in mastering this medium. “Ink painting requires a lot of preparation. I practised beforehand to become more fluent,” Eunice explained.

The nuances of this art form, such as the balance of ink and water and the choice of brush, demanded precise control and understanding, making it a significant learning experience for Eunice.

Her guiding philosophy in art and life is encapsulated in her own words: “Trusting the process is crucial for me. The process of painting might not always be pretty, and you might not be satisfied with how it’s going, but giving up would be a real waste. I’ve realised that it’s important to continue. If you truly believe in yourself and keep painting without giving up, the final piece might turn out to be a pleasant surprise.”

Another turning point came in 2019, with her victory in a painting competition and participation in a Russian art group. These experiences were crucial in shaping her self-esteem.

SOTY 22/23: Visual Artist category winner is a self-taught creator

“I learned a lot, and even in that short time, I began to gain confidence to paint what I wanted and express my thoughts through my art,” she recalled.

Her talent was recognised when she was named second runner-up in the Visual Artist Category at this year’s Student of the Year (SOTY) Awards. The awards are organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Now studying illustration animation at Kingston University in the UK, Eunice continues to push the boundaries of her art through animation and digital media. Looking forward, Eunice is focused on using her art to narrate stories and offer solace. “I want to use my strengths to express stories, whether serious or cartoonish, through my art,” she said.