As a freshly graduated Visual Arts student, I know first hand the difficulty of displaying your work in a recognised establishment. So when a chance meeting with Licensee of Sofa Kim O’Brien came about, I was eager to make a lasting impression and further more, hoped she liked my work. It is a very personal thing to open your work and ideas to the public, especially when you have just left the security bubble of university and the constant creative, encouraging environment you’ve grown accustomed to over four years.
Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones! We delved into my stories of feminine culture and used my photographs as visual aids to make a common connection. By the time we finished our second lattes my work had been accepted into the exhibition ‘pile’ Kim explained to me her vision: “The idea of exhibiting art came to me because I love looking at art yet don’t get the chance to do so very often. I wanted to create a relaxed environment where people can come in to see the art on display but not feel intimidated by the silence and stark atmosphere often present in an art gallery.”
For many young people, much of their time is spent in bars, so it seemed an ideal opportunity to add another dimension to just ‘going for a drink’. Kim wanted everyone who has any kind of interest in art – and those who don’t – to come down and check out great work on show. She already had on board the expertise of artist Philip Towers who would curate the exhibitions, on a six weekly rotation. The meeting went even better than expected when Kim invited me to join her and Philip in creating this event.
Rather than just ‘dress’ the walls with bits of art, we wanted to approach this in a professional and artistic way. With so much creativity in every corner of this city we knew we wouldn’t have any trouble recruiting hidden talent. We wanted to tap into the unknown resources of up and coming artists and discover new, raw talent. With a location in the heart of ‘studentsville’, we had an advantage from the start. We needed the combination of a professional gallery injected with new and exciting work.
By September we already had a large database of artists and it is forever growing. A launch date had been decided and we set to work. With the 7th of October embedded into our memory, we set about launching Manchesters first Art Bar. As a photographer in Manchester, I find there is a shortage of places to exhibit my medium so this was an ideal opportunity to show my work. With myself and Philip pencilled in for the opening gala, we recruited three more artists to complete our show.
After careful consideration, we decided on the mixed media works of Anna Smith, with her explosive canvases, illuminating the room with splashes of colour (especially her use of orange). We had the urban scenes of illustrator Astrom Chang and the digital mixed media illustrations of Matt Morrison, which centres on cities and how they shape our worlds.
Philip Towers made a huge impact with his large canvases with his expressive use of shapes and colours. I had a combination of three series of photographs – The Burlesque, 60’s kitsch and the Sweets series. They all contain a hidden look at feminine culture and how these ‘pretty things’ have a hidden, deeper mood changing effect.
The launch took place on Saturday the 7th October and was a great success. Sofa had been transformed and there was such an exciting buzz throughout the place. The mood was set with white lilies and candles strategically placed around the bar and people were floating from one piece of work to the next, sipping wine and snacking on nibbles. To add a fun element to the nibbles, we had bowls of sweets which are featured in my photographs on each table. The public were intrigued by this new outlet for creativity in the area and it had people wondering what was next for Sofa. Manchester’s legendary Mike Pickering, of Hacienda and M People fame, showed his support by performing an exclusive DJ set for guests – he had the whole place dancing.
The project has caused quite a stir in the arts world so far, and we’ve gained the support of recognised organisations such as Didsbury Arts Network, the interactive urban arts group SketchCity, and various established artists including owner of Castlefield’s Phoenix Gallery, Phillip Aird. The effect of the bar has also rippled beyond local arts waters to the close network of Manchester Licensees. Punch Taverns Brewery have offered sponsorship and extensive support for what they call the “exciting concept” of an Art Bar.
It has been a really encouraging start, especially from its humble beginnings as a hopeful idea from a girl who simply loved art and wanted to show off talent.
The future looks bright for Sofa, with enthusiastic people sending in work on a daily basis. The next exhibition is in conjunction with Sketch City and will have a more urban feel to it.
For all questions or enquiries, please contact Jennie on 077380 66877 or at keeganjennie@yahoo.co.uk
Sofa can be found at 236 Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 5LE.
