The winner of this year’s Brixton Bugle and Blog art show is Andy Insh, for his painting Flight.
“The painting is based on the view from Brockwell park as a setting for something inspired by all the ‘flight into Egypt’ paintings I have seen,” he said.
Andy’s work was chosen by the votes of many hundreds of people who visited the show in Brixton’s Tate Library on Windrush Square over more than three weeks.
There were four runners-up – in no particular order:
Mark McLaughlin, December Morning, Brockwell Park
Arabella Yapp, The Euphoria of Dancing with Your Friends
Martin Grover, South London Reverie Interrupted
Jo Gibbs, Overflow.
“This is the fifth show, and every year we go from strength from strength,” said Leslie Manasseh, chair of the trustees of Brixton Media, the community interest company that publishes the Blog and Bugle – and also arts editor of the two publications and organiser of the art show.
“We have more entries, more artists submitting, more artists selected, more visitors and, crucially, we have more people voting in the ballot. Last year more than 1,000 voted; this year it’s over 1,200.”
He said the ballot, which some might think a gimmick, changes the way people engage with the work.
Artists with works in the show who had volunteered to look after the gallery during the exhibition, had noticed that “once people have to choose five works, they go round very carefully and look at works and think, ‘Why do I like that and which one am I going to choose?’
“I sometimes time people going round, just to see how long they take – and this week was a record. A man spent an hour and 20 minutes going round and looking at all the works and all the notes before he made up his mind.
“And I think that’s a really good thing. It’s part of the celebration of creativity and talent that is the art show.”
There was another, more poignant, reminder of how the art show is becoming part of Brixton.
“Fluffy (whose portrait by Sean MacNally was selected and on show) sadly passed away a few days ago.
“But the fact that there was a portrait here spread round her friends, and a lot of them came, partly to pay their respects to Fluffy but also to say thank you to the art show for reflecting what was a local personality.
“So it was a sad event, but a very good reflection of how the show has become embedded in Brixton.”
Presenting the awards with Tim Gledstone of the Brixton-based architects Squire and Partners who provide the bugle trophy for the winner, Leslie thanked Jimmy Davidson, of Brockwell Art Services in Herne Hill who, apart from helping to serve drinks and delicious samosas at the ceremony, also donates the Colin Failes certificate each year, which translates to £250 worth of framing services for the winner.
He also thanked Brixton Brewery for providing beer and Clover of Clover’s Bar and Restaurant formerly known as the Lounge on Atlantic Road for offering the winner an exhibition of their work.
He also thanked Alan Slingsby, the editor of the Brixton Bugle, “who works tirelessly behind the scenes doing things with IT and print and design to make sure that the art show happens.
“But more importantly he produces something that is becoming very rare and very precious, which is the Brixton Bugle. It’s a local newspaper; it is actually produced by journalists with proper news values, and that’s becoming rarer and rarer.
“And in a very real way, without the Blog and Bugle there would be no art show.”
Tim Gledstone said it was “a fantastic evening and spectacle of talent” and congratulated people with “the confidence to hand your pieces into this exhibition, where you might or might not be selected. And the great thing about this exhibition is, the show puts it on the wall, you don’t have to put it on the wall yourself.”
Squires had made their own piece of art, the beautiful trophy, using ancient and modern techniques, with mahogany salvaged from its Department Store HQ – “so it’s 120 years old – not forgetting it’s taken about 400 years to grow” and vegetable-based resin.
“I think it’s better than a BAFTA and the winner is a very lucky person. And you can play it!”
After managing to squeeze a resounding, triumphant note out of his bugle trophy, a delighted Andy Insh joked: “I’m so happy that all the friends I bribed have voted for me.”
But the painter, who has worked part-time as a carer all his life so that he could dedicate as many hours as he could to art, had a more serious point to make.
“The important thing is that people keep entering and come and see art,” he said. “Doesn’t matter if you win or don’t win; or if you sell it – you’re just going to spend the money. Seeing things and making the culture rich is very valuable – and everybody’s contributed to that, including the organisers, not just the artists.”
The show was supported by Arts Council England.
