Painter Nigel Kingsbury will join six other specially selected artists in an Outside In exhibition aimed at highlighting barriers each artist faced in the art world, including mental health issues, health, learning disability or social circumstance.
The exhibition, entitled ‘The Inner Self: Drawings from the Subconscious’ will take place at CGP London in Southwark Park from 4-21 September and is hosted by Outside In, a Chichester-based visual arts organisation supporting the development of artists otherwise excluded from the art world.
Kingsbury, who is renowed in art circles for his portraits of women as mystical goddesses (e.g. ‘Becky’ pictured above) and has a learning disability, and his fellow artists were selected from a total of 154 black-and-white submissions focused on the theme of subconscious. The other 6 artists are:
– Billy Weston
– Hannah Swain
– Imma Maddox
– Jan Arden
– Pat Mear
– Terence Wilde.
The selection panel included Julian Hartnoll Gallery curator Vivienne Roberts, CGP London director Ron Henocq and ‘outsider artist’ Nick Blinko, whose monochrome artwork will also be exhibited at the event. One of the 7 artists will also be chosen by Roberts to create a solo show at her gallery in November.
If chosen, it will be another success for Kingsbury, a member of learning disability arts organisation Action Space who has been selected 3 times for Studio Voltaire’s prestigious Members Show.
Drawing virtually every day, Kingsbury has produced images of women since his 20’s. During his time spent in a hospital for people with learning disabilities, he was inspired by the nurses, and when at home he sources images by recording TV programmes and freeze-framing selected women to sketch.
This fascination with the female form inspires Kingsbury to create drawings with a frequently mysterious and eerie quality, while remaining far removed from contemporary issues of gender stereotyping. His unique style of mark making produces fine, delicate portraits of women as mystical goddesses attired in glamorous ball gowns, decadent outfits and floating dresses.
For more information on Outside In exhibitions visit www.outsidein.org.uk
