#ArtThursdays
A Year In Art! 2022 Recap
2022 has been a great year for discovering new artists and exhibitions. The Stööki Craft Makers documented over 40 #ArtThursday blog posts this year, covering the latest gallery visits and interviewing talented artists as part of our Artist Spötlight Series.
Our final #ArtThursday blog post of 2022 is looking back on Stööki's art journey over the past year with highlights from each month and what to look forward to for 2023!
March:
March saw our first art adventure of the year reuniting with our good friends, Creative Debuts at the Adidas flagship store for the International Women’s Month Exhibition. The evening celebrated artists that identify as female with many different styles on show as well as live art being created on the night by the artists that were being showcased.
A large scale illustration of Michaela Coel on show at Creative Debuts' International Women’s Month exhibition
The Stööki Craft Makers in the Predator Edge photobooth during the Creative Debuts International Women's Month exhibition at the Adidas Flagship store, 2022
We also saw the Feeling Good Exhibition by Joy Yamusangie at the Now Gallery. Yamusangie was the winner of the Young Artists Commission for 2022. The exhibition invited the viewer to interrogate constructs around identity and celebrate self-expression. There was also some live jazz performed on the opening night which really set the mood!
"Trumpet!", acrylic, oil and pen on paper, as part of the Feeling Good exhibition, 2022
April:
April saw us visit the critically acclaimed Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear Exhibition at the V&A which was a great timeline through the ages of how fashion, particularly in menswear has evolved over the years.
Harris Reed - Ensemble, Thom Browne - Ensemble, PRONOUNCE - Suit & Hat as part of the Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear exhibition, 2022
Our work space at Thames-Side Studios also grants us access to seeing the revolving shows that happen throughout the year and in April we saw two, which included the Fool's Gold x Crucible group exhibitions. We were also introduced to the graphic artist; Eloise Dörr's ‘Through The Fog’ viewing. Dörr is also another resident of Thames-Side.
"Nice To Meet You", as part of the Through The Fog exhibition, 2022
May:
The exhibition we were most excited about in May was the Fabergé In London: Romance To Revolution Exhibition. Here we got to see the famous Imperial Egg collection in person and admire the craftsmanship it took to create the pieces.
The opening installation as part of the Fabergé In London: Romance To Revolution Exhibition, 2022
The remaining 3 exhibitions of the month landed back at Thames-Side. We were introduced to more residents of the studios, including Jonathon Callan, David Tebbs and the group painting and sculpture exhibition; Filth.
Panoramic view of the "Filth" painting and sculpture exhibition at Thames-Side Studios Gallery, 2022
June:
Jubilee month wouldn't be a jubilee without visiting an exhibition dedicated to the longest running monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - "Art Save The Queen" hosted at the Gallery @ Oxo.
‘Mint Her Majesty' by Elena Cecchinato as part of the Art Save The Queen exhibition, 2022
June also saw us feature the first Artist Spötlight of the year - Miranda Roe White. We invited Miranda to the Stööki Studio to chat and show us some of her works. Miranda was also kind enough to gift us some exclusive 1 of 1 Stööki artworks, painted by herself, which now take pride of place at our studio.
Artist, Miranda Roe White at the Stööki Studio, 2022
Digital painting of Stööki jewellery made by Miranda Roe White, 2022
June was also the exciting return of the Open Studios weekend at Thames-Side, which was the first time we were able to take part in since we moved there two years ago. All the studio holders that opened their doors to the passing public were also invited to showcase an artwork or creation that would be displayed in the Thames-Side Gallery. This was the first time that the management decided to put on an exhibition like this to highlight the talent that works behind closed doors in the compound.
Thames-Side Studios Gallery Open Studios Exhibition, 2022
Thames-Side Studios Gallery Open Studios Exhibition, 2022
July:
July saw us working through a heatwave which meant more reason to stay cool and venture out to some more exhibitions around London! This month we saw shows at the Barbican, Tate Britain and Saatchi Galleries.
Video installation as part of the ‘Our Time on Earth’ exhibition at Barbican, 2022
The Façade of St Jacques, Oil Paint on Canvas, as part of the Walter Sickert exhibition, 2022
Gold, Sapphire, Black Opal, Garnet & Enamel Necklace as part of the Tiffany & Co - Vision and Virtuosity Exhibition, 2022
August:
It was a lovely sunny Thursday evening in August and we attended an exclusive gallery live art performance by Jenny BM and renowned saxophonist James Vargas called ART FUSION. Mixing music with art, mixed media artist Jenny BM created a new artwork on the night in response to the music that later went up for auction. It was a great experience witnessing the artist at work whilst listening to an amazing saxophone player at the same time!
The Shift Ring in silver from the Reform Collection worn by Jenny on the night, 2022
Utopian Love Stories, 2022
The last exhibition we saw in August was the "Surrealism Beyond Borders" at the Tate Modern. As big fans of the Surrealism Art Movement, it was a joy to see some of the famous artworks that shaped the scene during its peak.
Lobster Telephone by Salvador Dalí, as part of the Surrealism Beyond Borders exhibition
September:
September was our busiest month as we blogged about 5 exhibitions, including highlighting our first #ArtThursday blog contributor, Rodelito that went to see the Small is Beautiful London: Miniature Art Exhibition in Old Brompton Road.
Stööki's first #ArtThursday blog contributor, Rodelito, standing outside the Small Is Beautiful exhibition, 2022
At the start of the month, we attended GUAP Magazines "We Face Forward" takeover of the Victoria & Albert museum. The event created a completely different atmosphere like nothing we have ever witnessed before in the legendary venue. It was definitely one for the culture.
The Friday Late event as part of GUAP Magazines "We Face Forward" takeover of the Victoria & Albert museum, 2022
A section of the exhibition which featured some talented choreography by contemporary African dancers, as part of the GUAP Magazine "We Face Forward" takeover, 2022
To round off the busy September month, we visited the outdoor Frieze Sculpture exhibition at Regent's Park. It was a nice change of scenery to observe artworks in a park during a nice sunny afternoon stroll.
Shaikha Al Mazrou (b. 1988, UAE), Red Stack, (Lawrie Shabibi) as part of the Frieze Sculpture exhibition, 2022
October:
October saw in another post from our second blog contributor for #ArtThursdays, Godwin, who went to see In The Black Fantastic exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. We interviewed Godwin on his experience at the exhibition and he told us this: "It included various art mediums that explore black culture within alternate realities including historical references and science fiction. It featured amazing artists that created paintings, sculptures, film, photography, and mixed media."
Chain Reaction by Nick Cave as part of the In The Black Fantastic exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, 2022
We were excited to tie in seeing the Grime Stories exhibition at the Museum of London during the Challenge Day we curated with Dave Darch as part of the Fusion Futures project. This exhibition was one of the last on show before the Museum of London closed earlier this month to relocate to West Smithfield which will open in 2026.
Entrance to the Grime Stories exhibition at the Museum of London, 2022
A reconstruction of the door and stairs to Jammer's famous basement as part of the Grime Stories exhibition, 2022
Jammer's basement was the genesis of 'Lord of The Mics'. The installation felt like you were actually underground as the walls and floor of the museum had been covered in signatures, just like the real basement of everyone who had passed through to record!
November:
Obviously, as big fans of jewellery, it was great to catch the Van Cleef & Arpels; The Art of Movement exhibition at the Design Museum.
Spanish dancer clip of emerald, rubies and rose-cut diamonds made by Van Cleef & Arpels as part of The Art of Movement exhibition, 2022.
The Principle Dancer that featured on the main poster for the exhibition, is one of Van Cleef & Arpels' first pieces, created in 1941. The sculpted dancer has a pear-shaped diamond face, crowned by a ruby and emerald ornament. The sweeping lines of the ballerina's body draws us to the fan inversely mirroring her headpiece. The different sized diamonds help to effectively capture the depth and volume of the ballerina's tutu.
To round off November we visited Wumzum's belated birthday art exhibition packed full of colourful and intricate illustrations.
Wumzum posing in front of one of his artworks during his exhibition at Club 8 in Stoke Newington, 2022
December:
December featured our last Artist Spötlight of the year, Leona Maneechak. Leona is a very talented illustrator, who we had the pleasure of working with for a couple of weeks. Even though it was a very short placement, Leona created some outstanding artworks of Stööki jewellery and apparel, on models and in still life compositions so we only thought it was right to highlight their skills.
Illustration by Leona - featuring the Quoise Sovereign Ring, Initial Ring, Element Ring, Cano Necklace and Capricorn Necklace
Aaaand finally...to conclude 2022 we went to "The Accurate Perception Available When Our Eye Becomes Single" exhibition that was featured in last weeks post. It was the audio-visual collaboration between visual artist, Richard Ducker and sound engineer, Ian Thompson.
Richard Ducker, (visual artist), stands in front of one of the live artworks as part of The Accurate Perception Available When Our Eye Becomes Single exhibition, 2022.
Overall, 2022 has been an amazing year to look at all types of art in person and we are excited to see what exhibitions and artists we meet over the next 12 months! A big thank you to everyone who we featured for our #ArtThursday posts so far.