The Brixton Blog & Bugle’s summer art show celebrated its winners at the exhibition in Brixton Tate Library on Windrush Square last night.
Mark McLaughlin’s Late summer afternoon, Brockwell Park was the winner in a popular vote with more than 1,000 ballot papers completed by visitors to the show.
You still have time to see it and works from more than 50 other artists; the final day of the show at the library is tomorrow (27 July).
Blog & Bugle arts editor Leslie Manasseh, who organised the show and popular vote, said that votes had been spread throughout the show: “Every single piece of work here is somebody’s favourite”.
He thanked the many individuals and organisations that had helped to make the show a success.
They included the library and its staff and members of the selection panel.
Sponsors included Squire and Partners who, once again, provided the unique Bugle trophy with its laser-etched winner’s details.
Jimmy Davidson of Brockwell Art Services each year generously donates a £250 voucher for framing at his Herne Hill shop in memory of artist Colin Failes.
Clover Trenchard of the Lounge offers the winner a show in the popular restaurant and bar on Atlantic Road.
Brixton Brewery provided beer for guests at last night’s event.
The show was also supported by a grant from Arts Council England.
“But,” Leslie told the crowded gallerty, “the most obvious group to thank is you – the artists”, whose talent, support, hard work and engagement made the whole process possible.
“I think this is noticeably the biggest and the best show we’ve ever had,” he said.
“There was a higher level of entry, there’s a higher number of artists showing, there’s more work showing, there were more visitors, and more people voted in the ballot.
“So really, on every measure, this has been a really successful show.”
One of the show’s key themes is opportunity, Leslie said. “It’s an opportunity for local artists to show their work and it’s an opportunity for the people of Brixton to enjoy their work.
“I think collectively we have done a very good job of making that a reality.
“When we first did the people’s ballot some four years ago, I wasn’t sure it was going to work. But not only was it successful then, it continues to be successful and has become central to the character of the show.”
People who had spent time in the exhibition “know that the ballot actually changes the way people engage with the work – they start looking at it really carefully”.
There was one winner, but because so many works were really popular there were also four runners-up this year.
Prizes were presented by Tim Gledstone of Squire and Partners. “Being in the Tate Brixton – that’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Winner Mark McLaughlin has been creating art for as long as he can remember. He did a foundation course at Farnham art college in Surrey, now part of the University for the Creative Arts, and studied at Birmingham School of Art for a degree in visual communication and a masters in illustration. He had a studio for several years in Brixton’s Bon Marché centre. He is part of a community of artists at the Clockwork studios in Camberwell.
Runners up
Arabella Yapp studied fine art at Goldsmiths and Middlesex universities and has taught art to many excluded groups. She has lived in a mixed Jamaican/English extended family since childhood.
Rizza Zahid’s work encompasses surreal drawings that delve into the complex dynamics of human relationships and everyday experiences and try to capture the mysterious and thought-provoking aspects of these connections.
Martin Grover was a winner in the first Blog & Bugle art show and his work ranges from bus stops with Tamla Motown song destinations through screenprints to studies of trees in Brockwell Park.
Jorge Sanchez is a self-taught mixed media artist and picture framer born and raised in the Philippines where he was a hospital pharmacist. He moved to the UK in 2005 where he makes hand-finished frames for artists.
