Sustaining creative practice in the North East
Gray’s School of Art graduate, Carla Smith, won the Peacock Prize at Gray’s Degree Show last year and as part of the award, secured a year-long Graduate Artist Residency at Aberdeen’s printmaking workshop, peacock & the worm.
Carla's preparing for an exhibition called ‘Sugo’ at the Look Again Project Space that invites the audience to explore the intimate act of preparing and sharing meals and how this may change as relations shift and grow over time.
RG View caught up with Carla to find out more about the exhibition and how opportunities such as this are supporting creatives in the North East.
“I'm really excited to welcome visitors to 'Sugo’. There has been a huge amount of work in the lead up to this show and it has all been made possible thanks to the support of others.
“Visitors to the exhibition can expect to find a film, edible prints, ceramic work, works that utilise printmaking in various forms, as well as documentation of the pasta-making workshop that was the first public-facing part of the project.
“’Sugo’ is Italian for a kind of tomato sauce. Boiled down for a long time. Then filtered and bottled to keep for months – a storing of time. I hope visitors conjure up their own feelings around family, memory, care and conviviality together.
“Preparing the exhibition has been an amazing experience. Over the past year at peacock & the worm, I have developed my printmaking abilities, met many great artists, and learnt so much. The residency has had a huge impact on my art practice and career I’ve been able to build upon learning from my time at Gray's and develop my confidence in printmaking. It has been such a supportive environment and I am so grateful to everyone who has made it possible.
“During my residency, I’ve made lovely friendships, and it’s been an amazing experience to work on a project like this with friends. Enxhi Mandija, the Assistant Curator at peacock, has been a huge support with this exhibition, and all of this would not have been possible without her care and dedication to this work.
“I’ve also had the opportunity to work with fellow graduates from my year including Saoirse Horne, a painting graduate who worked on the score for the film that will be shown at the exhibition, and it’s been great to work with creatives who graduated alongside me.
“I am extremely grateful to the help from the Look Again team at Gray’s School of Art who I worked closely with for the upcoming exhibition. They have been wonderful to work with, extremely generous with their time and supportive throughout the preparations for the exhibition, and I’ve really enjoyed working with an organisation whose events I attended and programmes I always admired whilst a student.
“I’ve had the opportunity to return to Gray’s to use their facilities, visit exhibitions and get involved in the art school in a new capacity, which has been hugely supportive as a recent graduate. At Christmas time, I even helped teach Gray’s ENGAGE portfolio course, which gave me the chance to develop my skills and support those hoping to study at Gray’s.
“It has been great to see some of my old tutors and technicians. I’ve been able to fire work in their kilns and create artefacts which I exhibit in the final show. Helen Love, Ceramics Technician at Gray's, spent time teaching me how to load and set kilns. It has been amazing to have this support for the exhibition, and I really appreciate the experience of learning more about the firing process.
“As for advice for any creative graduating from Gray's, I would say to make the most of opportunities that you come across and to prioritise spending time with friends. It is important to work, but it is also important to live and make lovely memories!
“There are so many opportunities to develop your creative practice in the North East and the support I’ve received from Gray’s and through the Graduate Artist Residency at peacock & the worm, has given me even more confidence to develop my career.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and had input into ‘Sugo’. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the opening night!”
Director, Sally Reaper from Look Again at Gray’s added: “We are delighted that Carla’s exhibition, Sugo, is about to open. It is vital that we build opportunities to keep graduates in the city and by working collaboratively with cultural organisations, such as peacock & the worm, Look Again is building partnerships across the region to ensure a sustainable future for creatives. By supporting arts and cultural organisations, we will not only help emerging artists such as Carla, but we will also enrich the lives of individuals, communities and society through their work.”
Enxhi Mandija, Assistant Curator and the peacock & the worm, said: "It has been wonderful to work with Carla over the past year. Since starting her residency, she has become an integral part of the life of the studio, and it has been great to see her develop and hone her printmaking skills over the year. Working with Look Again has been fantastic, they have been an incredibly supportive partner. We are excited to continue working together to support emerging artists in Aberdeen. We hope the residency can continue being an opportunity for recent graduates creatives to continue growing and flourishing as part of Aberdeen’s creative community."
SUGO is jointly supported by peacock & the worm and Look Again, and delivered as part of LACER project by Gray's School of Art, RGU on behalf of Culture Aberdeen. Many thanks to AV One Solutions for donating the screen and equipment for the exhibition.
Opening night – Friday 1 September 6 – 9pm. Exhibition opens 2 – 17 September Sat & Sun 11am – 4pm at the Look Again Project Space, 32 St.Andrew Street, AB25 1JA.
