Exhibition
Being There is an exhibition which combines artwork from two very different artists both sharing the same desire to capture a moment, a place, a memory. US artist Nancy Hart is presenting her new collection of drawings from her recent visit to Italy and Gerard L Finegan from Birmingham is showing for the first time a retrospective collection of photographs taken from around the world Australia, USA, Cuba, Costa Rica, Czech
Republic, Italy, Ireland and Great Britain over the last 20 years.
Nancy says, "This new series of drawings records my journey throughout Italy during the summer of 2009. I am fascinated by the long history and tradition of documenting travels in Italy through images and text. The antique engravings from the “Grand Tour” of Europe have inspired my drawings because of their small scale and yet, sense of grandeur. The drawings are done on location directly from the observed landscape to give them a “sense of place”. The quality of light, the sound of the water in the fountains, the smell of flowers in the gardens, and the grayness of the stones, all are influences while I am creating them. Most of the summer I have stayed in Viterbo, a walled medieval city in the Lazio region outside of Rome. I am struck by the sense of the past in the streets, unlike anything I have experienced in the US. I have also visited the mannerist gardens in the region, such as Bomarzo and Villa Lante, and have been impacted by the fountains, sculptures, and gardens. Seeing these sites first-hand has been an amazing experience and I want the drawings to reflect that feeling of awe and discovery".
Gerard says “Point, frame, focus and press the button, that’s all it takes to take a photograph but once done it can never truly be repeated. The moment has gone, the world has turned but what remains is the image, the documented memory. My work represents a variety of photographs from my travels over the years including landscapes, cityscapes and experimental photography using both 35mm and digital formats. I am very pleased to be presenting my work for the very first time at the Custard Factory and I look forward to seeing you there”.
