Nicola Siebert-Patel
The Artist's job is to be a witness to his time in history.
Robert Rauschenberg
Upcoming shows:
Prior to lockdown, I was offered a place in an exhibition at Aire Place Studios, Leeds, currently postponed till further notice.
Currently working on an artist's journal contributing to The Water Replies, Estuary 2020 exhibition.
I've been fortunate to have lived close to the Thames in the 14 years of being a parent. Working on this journal has been a fantastic reminder of the influence the Thames has had on our lives. From meeting friends by the river for drinks in the local pubs to taking myself for a quiet walk, going mud larking with the kids, cycling on the river path and feeding the ducks. It's proving to be a joyful experience being part of this collaborative.
Contributed to Yoko Ono's upcoming exhibition, Arising, via an online open call.
The call was open to all women, you had to send a testament of harm done to you for being a woman together with a photo of just your eyes.
I completed a coded embroidery piece for Lucy and Jorge Orta's upcoming exhibition concerning climate change.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day we spent with Lucy and could relate to many of the topics she works with, in particular, I loved the community dinners they stage and it reminded me of one of my favourite books ''Religion for Atheists'', Alain de Botton where they talk about Agape dinners in early religious practices, bringing the community together.
Approached by Uncovered Collective to be part of their Gods, Devils and Software Engineers show in Deptford. This was a great honour as there will only be ten artists in total in this show. This was due to publicising my working process and promoting images of my giant prayer beads on Instagram. Maintaining relationships with artists working in the industry and other Wimbledon and UAL alumni. I have exhibited with Uncovered Collective before in the Postopia exhibition at Ugly Duck, and very much look forward to showing with them again when the lockdown is lifted.
Current Online shows:
Due to the lockdown, I have responded to several online platforms where artists can show their work:
@covoidartmuseum
@cassartstudents
Offered a place in the online exhibition The world takes a breath, curated by Paper Plane Consulting, focusing on life during Covid crisis.
''As an artist working in the pandemic, it is taking me some time to place thoughts about what is important anymore. The trajectory I was on in my practice [belief systems/objects within them] still feels relevant to me and in this situation maybe more so now, focusing on body/mind connect. Finding ways and means to retain our mental and physical health. As I am at home and have no access to workshops/studio space, my practice has returned to painting. This image was captured on polaroid, double-exposed to create feeling of movement. Touch can be therapeutic, comforting. I find it a way of dealing with confusion and anxiety. The pose is reminiscent of Munch’s ‘Scream’, I see my painting as more of a silent, internal ‘scream’, not so much in a state of shock but more trying to comfort myself in a time when the whole world is suffering and our lives will never be the same again''.
Don't touch, 2020
An opportunity arose at UAL Postgrad Community to show work we had been working on during the lockdown.
''This is me in my current practice at home. As my children are homeschooling and needing PCs, I'm focusing on painting whilst trying not to get any paint on our furniture! It took me a few days to think about how I could adapt my practice, but now I feel a lot more clarity and how my original themes are compatible with what we are experiencing in Covoid crisis. I have taken polaroid pictures double-exposed of me touching my face. I realise it's now forbidden but also the comfort it gives me in times of stress. Much like prayer beads in my previous work. My kids finish homeschooling today (27/03) for their Easter break which should bring new challenges but also allow me to start working on my webfolio.''
After building a relationship with the staff at Cass Art, Kingston, I applied to host an exhibition in The Art Space studio above their shop. The studio is a good size and I decided to get my Dogma19 colleagues on board in what was a very short period of time to produce a show.
This was the 2nd public-facing event for this group. We agreed on a chosen material, tracing paper and had 2 weeks to produce work for our Traces exhibition.
This was a great exercise in working with the Dogma19 group again. Once again it proved beneficial to be able to share our experiences in working with the material and pool together to hang and curate the show.
We were lucky enough to have been open to the public before the lockdown began and the store closed. We have been unable to remove our work since lockdown, but the feedback we received before was very positive and I hope to show more work in the Art Space in future. It's a great space to show new work as they hold regular art workshops in the Art Space which brings opportunity for feedback from different art communities and more exposure of your work.
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As part of the MFA show at the Crypt Gallery, London, I was the team leader for Research which involved setting up meetings for our group where we collated all the research we had gathered ourselves and from previous years and deciding on a title for the show. I then represented the Research team in general meetings and worked closely with Marketing in composing letters and documents advertising the exhibition.
The Research team had a wealth of information to choose from due to the history of the Crypt but we unanimously agreed to go with the title of Immurement which was suggested by Gail in her research. Before the summer holidays, we shared a document explaining the meaning behind the word and requirements for the exhibition.
I spent a considerable amount of time over the summer holiday researching ideas for my work for our show. It wasn't the first time I had worked in such a large group, but it was the debut for the Dogma 19 group where on this occasion all the members agreed to make work with cement.
The exhibition was a huge success and I felt hugely supported by my colleagues, friends and family and we had a great deal of positive feedback about the show in general. It was a great opportunity to make site-specific work and being part of the Dogma 19 collective within the show added another layer of collaboration within the group.
As the title of the show would suggest, One night stand was a private view exhibition in March 2019, being taken down the following afternoon. It was a collaboration between a few Chelsea MA and Wimbledon MFA students. It was a great exercise in how quickly one could put a show together and a successful way of getting to know some fellow UAL students and their practices. Due to the short timeframe, I chose to exhibit some monoprints I had been working on.
I'm happy to say I am still in contact with a few of the graduates, supporting each other on social media platforms and at exhibitions and hope in the future we can pool our resources and exhibit together again.
The Postopia exhibition was run by Uncovered Collective, made up of several UAL alumni. I responded to their open call for this exhibition to be held at the Ugly Duck, Bermondsey. My proposal was an oil painting of an image taken from YouTube of Sinead O'connor talking openly and honestly about her mental health. I included the sound clip of her voice and fabricated a 3D 'play' button which I placed over her face to represent pressing play on a screen, along with covering her mouth, being silenced.
The venue was an abandoned warehouse building which held the number of artists exhibiting really well and Uncovered Collective did a great job installing and curating the show.
As there were so many of us, it was a great opportunity to get to know some of the 2nd year Sculpture students and Wimbledon 2nd years better and to be able to assist in any way I could. Making sure the proposed work was delivered, liaison about any issues/concerns with work, being present for installation, helping with de-installation, promoting the show across all social platforms and bringing friends to see the show.
The exhibition was a great success and I look forward to showing with Uncovered Collective after lockdown.
I had exhibited at Battersea Arts Centre previously through The People's Film Club and was made aware of the Beyond Borders open call.
Beyond Borders was a huge event running over two weekends with live performances, talks, documentaries and prints of artwork on display to buy with all proceeds from sold artwork went towards the refugee crisis.
It was great to be a part of this event in educating people of more of the realities that refugees face, and I was grateful for my artwork to have been recognised in making a social statement and contributing towards funds raised.
The first public-facing show with 14 of my Wimbledon MFA colleagues, Sparks, Legge Street Studios Ladywell was a great learning experience.
The unconventional space (a functioning metal workshop) meant we had to be creative with the hanging of the work. It was also an education in not showing in a white cube type space, where the site is very specific and the work can take on a new meaning in such surroundings.
I had two pieces to show, 'Child', the crucifix covered in a child-size buoyancy aid. This was hung from the ceiling by a chain, which added brutality to the work and 'Blood of Christ', lino on board.
An ambition of the show was to involve the community, specifically the local primary school, where Liliana, myself and Claire undertook running art workshops for year 3, introducing them to collage. The workshops were a huge success and the children thoroughly enjoyed getting creative with us. As the show was held in February, we had a slight disaster with the weather and the roof of one of the buildings almost collapsed and was leaking where my print was positioned. We managed to get to it in time and had to show the work propped up against the floor.
It was a great baptism by fire as none of the MFAs really knew each other that well by then, but it was a great way to get to know everyone involved. We were also running a range of courses for families to attend over the weekend, wood carving, clay workshops and caricatures.
Future plans:
OPEN HOUSE
Since February 2020, Gail, Claire and myself have been meeting to discuss our future plans post MFA. We have formed a collective named Open House. Our aim is to source venues together and set up open calls for larger venues and to pool our talents and resources, being proactive with our careers. Setting up our own exhibitions and group proposals. Being three women from different generations, we are looking into possibilities of working with women's charities too.
Venues we have been looking at and are waiting to hear back from when they open again are:
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Bermondsey Project Space
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The People's Film Club / Battersea Arts Centre supporting women's charities eg. Women's Aid and Sistah Space
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Wimbledon Space
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Camberwell Space
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Kingston Shopping Centre - vacant shops
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Ugly Duck, Bermondsey
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The Bargehouse
Depending on the new Government Guidelines, we hope to have our first exhibition by the end of summer 2020 in a hallway and living room in Kingston. The show will be titled Behind Closed Doors.
It will be an intimate show consisting of Gail, Claire and myself focusing on introspective work with a domestic narrative. We hope this will be the start of many exciting projects to come.
As lockdown was announced before our show Traces was de-installed, when the Government announces the re-opening of shops and gallery spaces, the Dogma 19 group will be meeting up to de-install and discuss future plans.
DOGMA 19
I will continue working with the Dogma19 group as I enjoy being part of this collaborative and as a founder member, I feel we can still go very far with this concept. In the future it would be great to set up open calls, inviting all artists to work with our chosen material for a set exhibition. An aim is to one day compile a book of all the shows and materials we have used cohesively. This is reminiscent of a book I posses ''Contemporary British Art in Print'' where a host of successful artists are all called upon to create print works. From the likes of Anthony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread to Bill Woodrow, the outcome is extraordinary and great to see artists work whom you wouldn't normally associate with printing.
After reading Andrew Simonet's updated pandemic specific message to artists, I am encouraged to keep going, work doesn't stop, it just changes.
For myself specifically, being a mother whose children are still very much dependent on me, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I am an artist for the long haul and as such, need to work in a way that is sustainable.
Prior to my MFA, I had been a working mother, so I feel leaving college, I am well equipped and experienced in trying to balance my career and a family. Specific examples of this are to try to keep my work schedule to the same hours as my children are at school and in the evenings. I will spend at least two days every week reading and applying for open calls and drawing up proposals. When galleries reopen, I will go to at least two open evenings a month.
I feel I have still been able to develop and nurture relationships I was forming prior to lockdown via social media, and have established new relationships through social media messaging. I feel these relationships are not just about trying to sell your work to a curator or gallery but getting to know them first, your work might not be suitable for them, but developing a relationship and showing interest in the industry can lead to more connections which may be the right for you. I feel this is not something to be forced but rather to plant roots, as you grow in the industry, finding your 'tribe'. I am privileged too in that I have made some great connections and friendships through WCA and I hope to continue collaborating with them.
Key skills/learning outcomes:
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Experience in exhibiting in unconventional spaces
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Researching new materials within collaboration (Dogma 19 group)
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As Team Leader of Research in the Crypt exhibition, I was able to contribute to and recognised all team members' skills
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Resilience and adapting to circumstances during the pandemic, found new opportunities to show work
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Collaboration skills as well as working on my own
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Time management & completing work to a tight deadline
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Being able to work with strangers, communication skills
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Using social media platforms to promote shows/work in progress
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Experience in showing in a large group shows and more intimate shows
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Sourcing venues for exhibitions and being involved from conception to completion of the show
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Helping with curation, installation, packing and de-installation of shows
Continue to:
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Develop, maintain and nurture relationships within the art community
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Keep up to date with what is happening in the industry
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Continue to apply for suitable residencies, open calls and proposals
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Continue to make art from home during lockdown whilst keeping a lookout for available opportunities to share studio space and when workshops re-open, finding a local metal workshop and wood supplier.
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Continue to support colleagues by attending opening nights, supporting and networking on social media whilst still in lockdown.
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Set up a support group with fellow alumni where we can meet regularly to discuss art/critique each other's work.
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Set out my goals and break them down into bite-sized, achievable goals which are measurable and attainable (SMART Specific Measureable Attainable Relevant Timely)