Inscriptions: drawing, making, thinking

‘Inscription: drawing, making, thinking’ brought together the work of David Conneam, Philip Eglin and Charlotte Hodes, it included drawings, ceramics, moving image and evidence of their working process. The exhibition was curated as part of the Jerwood Visual Arts Encounters series.

Charlotte Hodes' work takes the form of intricately cut, large scale papercuts and work onto ceramic. Her working methodology is informed by collage; both the digital of ‘cut’ and ‘paste’ of the computer and hand cut and paste in the studio. The depiction of the female figure, drawn from contemporary and historical sources, which include skirt pattern templates from the London College of Fashion archive library, is the overriding and recurrent theme. The work seeks to evoke a sensuousness and a sumptuous feeling of celebration, simultaneously questioning the position of the female figure as decorative motif.

‘Following on directly from my exhibition ‘Silhouettes and Filigree’ 2009-2010 at the Marlborough Gallery, ‘Inscriptions’ provided a very different opportunity for me to present work in a way that highlighted process rather than completion. The valuable discussion between the curators and artists was instrumental in shaping the ideas for the exhibition. I was fascinated how our shared departure points using mark making, the signature of the gesture and thinking through drawing, led to the different outcomes revealed in the show.

I begin by drawing directly with pen or pencil and these drawings, along with many photographs and printed material form a visual ‘archive’ of imagery which trigger ideas . I select images from this archive which are manipulated through further hand drawing, tracing and digital drawing, in particular using the computer functions, through Photoshop, of ‘scale’, ‘cut’ and ‘ paste’ and ‘colour adjustments’. These are then collaged either as large intricately cut papercuts on paper or onto the surfaces of ceramic pots. There is a strong element of intuition during the making process – the imagery is not ‘worked out’ in advance and so the process is full of surprises and of potential disasters or revelations; the papercuts are sometimes cut up completely and sometimes the imagery on the pots simply does not ‘come together’ . The whole procedure then begins again in which the tactile experience is brought to bear on the subsequent thinking and making process. I hope that these processes are evident in the completed works, forming an integral part of how they are understood.’

Programme events to accompany exhibition:

18 January ‘Flux’ discussion panel, speakers include Charlotte Hodes, Roger Law & Felicity Aylieff

1 February ‘Collage to Montage’ filmmaker Susan Steinberg presenting documentary film about Charlotte Hodes.

Q & A with Steinberg and Hodes.

Press Review:

‘Five Best London Shows’ The Independent 23.01.2010- 29.01.10 Jan 2010 & review in Studio International online journal 29.01.10.

The focus of ‘Inscriptions’ on the working methodology of drawing led to Hodes’ contribution to a week-long drawing workshop for adults, led by Glenn Sujo, working in partnership with the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Kettles Yard Cambridge entitled ‘Mind-Spirit-Body-Matter: Drawn to the Human’ 30.06.2010 -01.07.2010

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