Wednesday 3 October 2018

Jo Mama's Alphabet Show at Studio One Gallery

OPENING PARTY: SATURDAY 6TH 0CT 6PM TILL 9PM
Jo Mama's Alphabet Show features work from a veritable galaxy of art stars. Most of the work is brand new and has never been exhibited for. Not everything in the show is for sale as part of the show is made up of memorabilia and precious processions. Address: Studio One Gallery 7-9 Wandsworth Plain, SW18 1ES Directions: Get the overground train to Clapham Junction and then hop on an 87 bus, the last stop is Wandsworth Plain / Studio One Gallery. Around 8pm there will be a short performance by the poet Stephen Micalef followed by live music from FATBERG Please note... The works in this show were hung by Tori Day and Charlie Day, there will be a very cheap bar and at least two dogs running around. The weather forecast for Saturday is: drizzle. After the opening party the show will be open on Sunday 7th Oct, Saturday 13th of Oct and Sunday 14th of Oct from 12 till 6pm. No tickets required. Everyone is welcome.
Jo Mama's Alphabet Show goes like this... Ambassadors by Chris Coombes, Bear by Charlie Day, Chilli by Uzma Sultan, Doughnuts by Uzma Sultan, Exquisite Corpse by Dom Kennedy, Harry Pye, Kes Richardson, and Rose Wylie, Fox by Corin Johnson, Gilbert & George by Gilbert & George, Horse by James Johnston, Interview with a Legend by James Johnston, John & Yoko by Harry Pye and Rowland Smith, King by Rachael Robb, Leaves by Klarita Pandolphi, Match by Charlie Day, Nurofen by Russell Herron, Owl by Phil King, Proper Copper Coffee Pot by Tori Day, Queen by Lauren Heaver, Raccoon by Agnieszka Zapala, Sphinx by Aidan O' Sullivan, Top Spot by Tracey Emin, Uccello by Aidan O' Sullivan, Veni Vidi Vici by Moich Abrahams, Walk by Julian Wakeling, Xenophobia by Max Crow Reeves, Yawning Chasm by Gregory Williams, Zebra Market Stall by Harry Pye and Rowland Smith. (see bottom image)
Above: Jim and Dot (from Fatberg)
Above:James "Hound Dog" Lawson holding Max in front of K is for King by Rachael Robb
Above:Paul Wye in front of E is for Exquisite Corpse and G&G
Above: V is for Vendi, Vidi, Vinci (Artwork by Moich Abrahams, not in photo)
Above: Poetry please
Above: Cheek to Cheek (Pete Fields of the Slow Motion Cowboys)
Above: Fatberg L to R: Cameron Colbeck (Drums), Alex Weeks (Bass), Dot Dunn (Keyboards), Jim Aucutt (guitar and shouting) Above: More Mikalef
Above: Julian Wakeling with Greg Williams
Above: James Johnston clings on (photographed by Moitch Abrahams)
Above: Harry, John and Yoko (photographed by James Johnston)
Above: Phil "O is for Owl" King and Moich "V is for Veni, Vidi, Vici" Abrahams
Above: Agnieska Zapala & Co.
Above: Jim Aucutt singing with Fatberg
Above: Alex on Bass (with Fatberg)
Above: Raksha Patel
Above: Stephen Micalef with Lauren Heaver
Above: The artist Aidan O'Sullivan with his Uccello
Above:Lucky Peter Walsh finds a golden Jo Mama Beer Token
Above: The brilliant Pete Fields for more info on his band visit: here
Above: Duet
Above: Sally and Max
Above: 'Horse' by James Johnston in the top right corner
Above: Uzma Sultan with Chilli and Doughnuts
Above: Tori Day in front of Ambassadors by Chris Coombes
Above: A happy James Johnston
Above: The legendary Gabriella
Above: Harry with Corin Johnson's Fox
Hi, I’m Jo Mama. A lot of people come up to me and say, “Hey Jo, attempts to ingratiate yourself do the opposite. Don't try to be funny, interesting, original or clever, just be you and talk about the things that you love. Well, I love the alphabet. I think everyone loves the alphabet in a way, and from Braque to Bochner, Kruger to Holzer, Wool to Nauman, there have been many artists who've used the letters of the alphabet in their work. Sure, there are many artists who've never used the alphabet in their work, but maybe they once ate Alphabetti spaghetti, listened to the song 'ABC' by the Jackson Five, or received an A-C in Maths and English at GCSE. The artists comprising this show have not shied from the role language takes in experience. As a treasure trove of linguistic possibilities, the alphabet may even hold the key to the dead man's chest of that experience. And if you are seeking after such meaning, who better to turn than a spectral emissary, waxing arbitrary about the difference between one thing and its mother, on the basis of a convention lacking prior precedence? But don't worry, if language can be in any way opaque, it's no more so for you than it is for me. The darkness in which we are equally shrouded may well be in direct proportion to the potential we all have for radical illumination. And it's for this reason that Wandsworth is a natural home for an alphabet show. As a keystone of modern democracy, some pretty radical uses of language have taken shape here, challenging the idea that precedent was a given, or that some were naturally entitled to vote whilst others weren't. More than 20 artists have been specially selected for this exhibition. The work you're about to see is an erotic cut and shut of an ABC that includes: wildlife, a king, a queen, friendships, collaborations, and heroes and villains. I’m not the first artist to do a show based around the alphabet and I wont be the last. I want to live and I want to give and I don’t want to live in a cage of fear. Language is a prison house, but with the alphabet we're all free to face the fluorescent writing on the wall. I love you more than words. Always Already. Jo x

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