Past Event
This workshop led by Janwillem Schrofer (Director of Rijksakademie, Amsterdam, 1982 – 2010), with contributions from artists Judith Dean, Mary Evans, Christina Riant and Puck Verkade, invites artists and those who wish to become artists, as well as anyone who works with artists, to explore the essential elements of a sustainable practice.
‘Visual artist’ is a term with untold interpretations, nuances and meanings. But how, as an artist (or designer, photographer, or other ‘independent creator’), do you become who you are and who you would like to be? What fundamental questions, characteristics, dilemmas, ambitions, restrictions and realities play a part? How can you guide your artistic practice, the main criterion being to answer the question: ‘where do I stand and what do I stand for?’
The workshop comprises a series of exercises that do not provide ‘recipes’ or simple solutions to the challenges of being an artist, but instead delves into the very fibre of the artist’s profession.
In association with Valiz.
This event is part of the London Art Book Fair, for more information and to see rest of the events click here.
Janwillem Schrofer (1945, Amsterdam) coaches artists in various stages of their career and is a consultant for cultural and educational organisations. He is a guest lecturer at art universities, and has been supporting artists’ initiatives worldwide. He is the author of Plan and Play, Play and Plan: Defining Your Art Practice. Schrofer was the director of the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (1982–2010).
Judith Dean, Essex (GB) 1965, studied Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art (1988) and was artist-in-residence at the postgraduate Rijksakademie in Amsterdam (1991-1993). Dean is a reactive artist who responds to whatever context she finds herself in, employing a wide range of materials and methodologies including sculpture, installations, video and performance. Her works are shown in the UK and outside (a.o. Berlin, Paris, Tokyo). Her practice includes amongst others collaborative projects, co-curating and artists’ talks. Judith Dean is Senior Lecturer in Fine Art/Art and visual culture at the University of the West of England. www.judithdean.weebly.com
Mary Evans, Lagos (NG) 1963, studied a.o. at Goldsmiths College, MA Fine Art (1987-1989) and at the postgraduate residency Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (1991-1993). Evans – “signs, symbols and pictograms culled from popular culture” – exhibited widely in the UK and in all continents, creates installations in divergent environments and realizes public commissions, like in Slough High Street – Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre and Evelina Children’s Hospital. Her art practice includes Artist/Education projects and (family) workshops with women and children. Mary Evans is BA Fine Art Course Leader at Chelsea College of Arts. www.mary-evans.com
Christina Riant, born and raised in Athens (GR), with a mixed background: her father is Egyptian-Greek and het mother’s heritage is rooted in Izmir, Turkey. Before she moved to London to study at Camberwell College of Art (2017 BA), she studied Management Science and Technology in Athens: “my practice mostly revolves around researching the common ground between personal, systematic and scientific work”. Chris Riant has a highly varied artistic practice, with a wide range of mediums, being present in diverging exhibition venues and it includes academic writing. www.chrisriant.com
Puck Verkade, The Hague (NL) 1987 lives and works in London and The Hague. She received het BFA from the Royal Academy of Art in the Netherlands and completed her MFA Fine Art at Goldsmiths University, London in 2017. She is interested in matters of representation and how these inform gendered and racialized biases in everyday interpersonal encounters. Her work has been shown internationally at various venues, she is visiting tutor in art schools and art centers, and founded Wander an artist-in-residence in The Hague (2012-2014). www.puckverkade.com
