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September 21, 2008

Lawty at the Whitworth

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Went to see some of Sue Lawty’s recent work at the opening of cloth & culture NOW [not, please note, cloth & culture at any other time, but cloth & culture NOW!]

It didn’t help that the exhibition was split between two different areas of the Whitworth Art Gallery, with endless bland Victorian watercolours between the two.

Blaaah… I’m not going to do a crit. of the show – the show is there [go see it] the work has been chosen for one reaon or another, for better or worse, the curator had a vision. Enough.

What was really good was seeing Sue’s work up there large on a big wall with plenty of white space around it. The gallery context might be a cliché but it still rocks as far as most artists are concerned.

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call and response, linen, lead, stone, shadow, Sue Lawty 2008

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linen detail

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lead detail

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stone detail

One day, many years ago, a huge smile bounced into my studio in Leeds, wearing a chunky wool sweater, clutching a pair of knitting needles upon which some of the same sweater’s chunky wool was carefully arranged and knotted as if she was still knitting it.

Behind her she dragged a giant woven Maltesers packet, with knitted Maltesers in attendance. She asked if I could take a photograph of the Maltesers packet. We’ve been friends ever since.

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Maltesers, Forrest Mars Sr., 60mm x 130mm, plastic and chocolate, 1936

It’s great to see her work progress over the years and it’s really good to see it in a big gallery getting the recognition it deserves.

Posted by john at September 21, 2008 02:56 PM

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