The artist is the first of the five finalists to speak with Dazed about influences and themes within their art to be shown in the up and coming group exhibition
Dazed and Converse proudly announce the five shortlisted artists chosen for the second annual Converse/Dazed 2011 Emerging Artists Award. From an overwhelming number of entries vying for a first prize of £6,000 and the opportunity to be exhibited in the group show at an exclusive venue near the Whitechapel Gallery in October, Kirsty Ogg, curator of the Whitechapel Gallery, artist Eva Rothschild, gallerist Sadie Coles, gallery director Darren Flook, curator Paul Pieroni and Dazed & Confused’s visual arts editor, Francesca Gavin came to their decisions at a final judging session at the Whitechapel Gallery.
The five artists who all receive £1,000 and will feature in the upcoming group exhibition are: Gabriele Beveridge, Ellie Harrison, Bruce Ingram, Levack/Lewandowski and Richard Parry. Each week we will be speaking with the artists kicking off with Bruce Ingram. Graduating with an MA in sculpture from the Royal College of Art, Ingram has established a fluid and experimental approach using studio leftovers as a source of inspiration.
Dazed Digital: Can you describe your evolution as an artist over the last couple of years?
Bruce Ingram: Since my MA in 2008, it has taken me a while to develop my current practice. A couple of years ago I was making work that represented existing objects, it consisted of a mixture of found objects and collaged imagery that referenced history, culture and geography. I felt the body of work produced had exhausted itself and I wanted to establish a way of working which would allow a more fluid approach to making art.
DD: What are your themes you are working with in your current work?
Bruce Ingram: My attention has turned to the output of the studio process. The leftover materials, the random pieces of paper scattered on the floor and the constellation of pictures on the studio wall, provided both the reference and source material for a new way of working. I am currently working between wall-hung works and plinth based sculpture, both disciplines still retain a use of paper and an exploration of collage. In this work I am looking to explore process as a form of outcome.
DD: What draws you to chance encounters and accidental moments within your work?
Bruce Ingram: I like to think that everything in my studio has some kind of value. I am very careful of what goes in the bin! By saving off cuts of material or salvaging cut out paper shapes from the studio floor, everything through the creative process seems to have some kind of further potential. Everyday in the studio can take a new direction, which I find a constant challenge that motivates me to carry on making artwork.
DD: How important is public interactivity with your work?
Bruce Ingram: It is important for me that my work has a universal quality. As I am making a work, I like to keep elements of the process visible. The viewer can identify techniques and materials, which are used in other day-to-day aspects of life.
DD: Are you looking forward to the upcoming London Emerging Artists group exhibition?
Bruce Ingram: I am really happy to be part of the competition and having an opportunity to show my work to the selection panel and a whole new audience. I am looking forward to making some new work to be included in the forthcoming show.
The Group Show will be open to the public from 7th October to the 23rd October 2011 Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-6pm, at 37 Heneage Street, London, E1 5LJ. The winner will be announced at a private event during Frieze, on the 15th October, at The Whitechapel Gallery.
http://www.dazeddigital.com/projects/emergingartaward2011 / http://www.bruceingram.com
