Cut from the same cloth

Featured Artists

Louis Blue Newby; Colin Lievens; Robin Smith

This room examines the role of community – by any definition – in enduring adversity. Through the presented artworks, each vibrating with humour, history, and attention to detail, the ideas of connectedness and resilience that we’ve been forced to confront this year are explored in all their rawness.

BSL room description video

Room Audio Introduction

  • This artwork, Periploi_1/3 (2021) is a triptych made up of three square panels; the left is aluminium and the two on the right are plywood. Black and white imagery, text and drawings cover the three panels that depict comic book-like stories about queer culture. Some text is also burnt into the plywood panels, appearing in a dark brown.
  • A black line divides the two halves of the image. On a grey background, a printed image in black of a figure with a naked woman sitting on their forehead is partially covering the surface. The words “Telepathic”, “Gemma” and “Sex” fill the left hand side. On the right, on a beige textured background, brown engravings of comic book heroes overlap and miscellaneous pop culture icons and kitsch designs are dotted about. Crops of images are partially visible around the edges.
  • A faint and slightly see-through outline of a blender sits central to the image. In the background are crowded black printed images of indistinct cartoon characters. Two identical figures face each other in the centre, joined partially in a kiss, although the tops of their heads are cropped off. Along the bottom, black stencil-like text reads: “Committing a Crime Against Nature”
  • Detail of the main Periploi image. On a white background, a light metallic surface viewed from an angle contains black and white printed images. The words “Stop Dreaming. Start Cruising.” , “Backword” and “Campaign for Homosexual Equality Brighton Group” can be read along the top and bottom. A male figure stands facing away with their trousers round their ankles, thumbing a lift. To the right is a pixelated image of a space satellite against a faraway galaxy.
  • On a pale wooden surface are graffiti- style scrawls including the word SAPPHO in bold capitals as well as a pug dog in a beauty contest tiara. A few lines of text are burnt into the wood, beginning with the phrase: ‘we are always changing’

Periploi_1/3
Louis Blue Newby, 2021

  • On a dark purple sheet of fabric is the corner of a pillow dyed with a fade of green to pink. A very finely detailed embroidered logo of ‘People’s Postcode Lottery’ covers the fabric with a fine white stitch following the edge of the logo.
  • Placed on a bed with a white headboard is a pillow dyed with a fade of green to pink with the words: “COMMUNITY, IT MATTERS” in large letters on the front in red fabric. The wall to the left is bright pink and the bed sheets are dark purples and blues. Below embroidered in white thread are the words: “EMMERDALE sponsored by” next to a very fine detailed embroidered logo of: “People’s Postcode Lottery”.
  • A close up image of a piece of fabric that is a fade from pastel green to purple. Red applique letters I, T and M are cut by hand and finely stitched around.
  • On a sheet of darker fabric sits a section of the bottom edge of a pillow. The fabric is a pastel green and has the words: “EMMERDALE sponsored by” in thick white embroidery thread.

People’s Postcode Lottery sponsors Emmerdale
Colin Lievens, 2021

  • A portrait painting of a female figure with long wavy brown hair standing tall. They wear a dress in autumn shades, with arms much paler than her face, which is shaded yellow. The background is split in two, with a blue upper half and pale lower half.
  • A portrait painting of a woman with long wavy dark hair standing beside a tall flowering plant on a block orange background. The woman wears a yellow and brown dress with a small pendant necklace. The plant stands straight in a green plant pot. It has short leaves and rust coloured petals.
  • A portrait painting of a female figure with long wavy hair standing calmly composed. She wears a dress with a pinkish upper half and the rest is pale green. The left hand side of her hair is black and the right is salmon pink. The background is a block of dusty yellow.

Outside Studio
Robin Smith, 2020