For the second year running, Griffin Gallery hosted an Engine ChatChat residency exclusively for UAL’s Postgraduate Community.
By Naira Mushtaq, PG Community Ambassador for Central Saint Martins studying MA Fine Art.
These sessions were mediated by artist Elizabeth Murton and hosted by Griffin Gallery, against the backdrop of Godley House, a site responsive show that was both informal and stimulating, with constructive conversation encouraged.
Bringing together a group of 8 artists from different stages of their practice under one roof. 7 of which were UAL students and alumni, creating an energetic mix of different disciplines from sculpture to film, painting and installation.
In each session, selected artists presented their work to rest of the group, followed by a discussion about their practice.
Griffin Gallery provided a safe space for the artists to share their work in a supportive environment as well as being honest and critical to each other’s practice. For some of the artists, these sessions proved to be a good instigator to encourage them to fall back into their practice after being out of institutional setting while the current students benefited from a different perspective than that offered on their courses, receiving valuable advice, support and encouragement.
Perhaps the most interesting element of these sessions was seeing the overlapping concerns in these variant practices, as best said by Elizabeth Murton during the closing notes of the sessions, who defines what art is, as artists are self-defining and they will always find expression in different ways.