Embodied Labour, Adam Garratt
22nd April - 13th May 2023
Open: Wed-Sat 12:30-5:30pm
Private view: Friday 21st April, 5:30-7:30pm
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Adam Garratt's practice has evolved around constraints of space, the use of material and repetitious making processes. Much of the work is made on reclaimed materials and is specifically made to expand into an installation when it is not neatly folded, stacked and rolled for storage in the garden shed. Conscious not to make extra waste, Adam chooses carefully which materials to make work with. They come with their own history of use and bare the marks of an embodied labour, often with holes, creases, tears, dirt and staines.
Building site sheeting and reclaimed event banners make up the bulk of the surface that Adam prints on to, and often ratchet straps are used in the work to create tension and a sense of force. Using the already damaged plastic surface as an art material enters it into the world of preservation and collection, and raises questions around creative value.
‘Embodied Labour’ features Adam’s recent work using Hi-Vis workwear and domestic processes such as sewing, folding and textile alterations. The work is dictated by what is found or donated and embraces the material forms, allowing its own narrative to inform the work. Much of Adam’s work starts with play and curiosity: What does it look like folded or piled? How well does the surface hold a printed image? Where is this material normally used? Can this be draped, cinched or tailored?’ These investigative processes culminate in bursts of intense activity that ultimately come together in the space.
Adam has a Masters degree in Contemporary Art Practice from the University of Plymouth graduating in 2019. He has undertaken a residency and exhibition at ICA, La Salle College of arts, Singapore in 2018, and exhibited in 'CORRESPONDENCE01' at Exeter Phoenix & Broadway gallery, Letchworth in 2021. Adam’s printed work has been selected for the Print International at Ty Pwab 2020 & the South West Printmakers Open at Studio KIND. 2022. Adam is also a member at the Double Elephant print studios in Exeter.
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'Embodied Labour' has been supported by Arts & Culture, University of Exeter. Arts & Culture, University of Exeter is an organisation to help strengthen creative networks, raise the profile of creative activity at the University of Exeter, and bring more people into a shared and open creative community.
'Embodied Labour' will be accompanied by a talk with Adam Garratt and Studio KIND. director, Laura Porter, in Exeter, and informal in-gallery crits. Stay tuned for more info.
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