Saturday, 11 June 2016

ART CAR BOOT FAIR 2016

FANNY UK, Sarah Sparkes, hand decorated fan for the Art Car Boot Fair 2016
Keep your cool, at the ART CAR BOOT FAIR this year, with one of my FANNIES - hand held fans, hand decorated with UK and USA sign language.

Both USA and UK FANNY are represented in the finger alphabets of the UK and USA.

Available at the Kent Baton, curated by Nicole Mollett
 
London Art Car Boot Fair

Sunday 12th June, 12-6pm
Brick Lane Yard Corner, off Brick Lane and Buxton St, E1The Baton is exhibiting a series of handheld artworks this Sunday in London. In doing so, breaking the traditional gallery taboo that is the untouchable art object. A range of sculpture, prints, drawings and performances will be on offer, to be handled with care.

 Bridgette Ashton  will present a series of prints from her collaborative project ‘Caves, follies, Grottoes and Hermitages’. Frog Morris will be performing with his Vegetable Puppets. Keep your cool with one of Sarah Sparkes ‘Fannies’ - handmade fans embellished with messages in sign language. Rosie James is showing her stitched drawings.

Handle one of Beth Lanning’s delicate animal skulls made from porcelain. Flick through one of Nicole Mollett’s smallest ever publications. Hazel Stone will be showing her ‘Summit Series, Collecting Mountains’ drawing on to wood. Ask nicely and Duncan Ward will let you hold his piece entitled ‘Snowball’ made from jewellery and gemstones found on the streets of London. Behold the detailed drawings of Paul Westcombe’s onto London train tickets. Jeanine Woollard will be showing her limited edition prints, 'Tales of the Jimba Jimba'.

For more info on the whole line up go to http://www.artcarbootfair.com/ .



FANNY USA Sarah Sparkes hand decorated fan for the art Car Boot Fair 2016

Wednesday, 18 May 2016

Gothic Pleasures


A selection of my NEVER AFRAID paintings will be exhibited at Emma Hill's Eagle Gallery as part of the group exhibition Gothic Pleasures.

Gothic Pleasures
Eagle Gallery
- EMH Arts
159 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3AL

Private View
18th May 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Exhibition Continues 19 May - 11 June


Artists: Arabel Rosillo de Blas, Elaine Brown, Denise de Cordova,
Harriet Mena Hill, Sarah Sparkes, Carolyn Thompson


Sarah Norris' Review of the Exhibition: Gothic Pleasures Review

Thursday, 12 May 2016

ARTDATE 2016

ARTDATE 2016
13-14-15 May La Città dei destini incrociati
Various venues across Bergamo, Italy
http://www.theblank.it/artdate/

 
The Host Ghost, Sarah Sparkes, 2016


My work,'The Host Ghost' will be exhibited at:
The Blank Contemporary Art
Via Giacomo Quarenghi, 50
24122 Bergamo
, Italy


Artists, who have previously worked with the Blank, have been invited to exhibit something that represents them. In my absence, I have sent my ghost

The exhibition is part of ARTDATE, a prestigious annual art event that takes place in many public and private galleries, museums and other venues across the beautiful city of Bergamo.


This year the theme and title of ARTDATE is 'The City of Crossed Destinies', based upon Italo Calvino's book'The Castle of Crossed Destinies' which features one of the oldest Tarot decks, the Colleoni-Baglioni or Visconti-Sforza tarot, which is held in the Accademia Carrar, Bergamo
My film, 'Time You Need', has also just entered the permanent collections of GAMeC (Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Bergamo)

 

Monday, 1 February 2016

Atlante delle immagini e delle forme

My film Time You need has entered the permanent collection of GAMeC,
The work will be part of the exhibition,
Atlante delle immagini e delle forme,
a group exhibition of recent acquisitions at GAMeC - Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo

 
Time You Need, Sarah Sparkes, 2015, Film, 16mins

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Atlante delle Atlanti delle immagini e delle forme,
GAMeC - Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo24121 Bergamo

19 February 2016 - 10:00am to 28 March 2016 - 7:00pm
Curated by Giacinto Di Pietrantonio e M. Cristina Rodeschini
Inaugurazione: 18 February 2016,  19:00pm
Press preview: 18 Febrary, 11:30 am


Artists: Getulio Alviani, Cory Arcangel, Stefano Arienti, Mariella Bettineschi, Luciano Fabro, Ferrario Frères, Invernomuto, Renaud Jerez, Corrado Levi, Ken Okiishi, Adrian Paci, Giulio Paolini, Emilio Prini, Dan Rees, Sarah Sparkes, Josh Tonsfeldt e Remco Torenbosch.

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

London Art Fair: New Art Projects

I am thrilled to be showing my NEVER AFRAID paintings with Fred Mann's New Art Projects at the London Art Fair. Exhibiting artists:  James E Crowther, Fergus Hare, Sarah Sparkes and Geraldine Swayne.

 
 
'NEVER AFRAID - Season II: Earley Rising', Sarah Sparkes 2015, 
acrylic and gold leaf on wallpaper.


New Art Projects
At
London Art Fair 2016
Islington Design Centre
53 Upper Street
London N1

20 - 24 January
Tues 19 - VIP Preview: 3pm - 6pm
Weds 20 - 11am - 9pm
Thurs 21 - 11am - 7pm
Fri 22 - 11am - 7pm
Sat 23 - 10am - 7pm
Sun 24 - 10am - 5pm
 


Sunday, 1 November 2015

The Electric Girl

Artist Sarah Sparkes has created an installation to compliment the Voices in the Dark series of events at Senate House Library. The work is a response to research carried out at the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature, during a research fellowship undertaken by the artist at UOL between 2008 – 2011.

Stella Cranshaw AKA The Electric Girl was one of many alleged mediums, tested for authenticity, by self proclaimed Psychical researcher Harry Price (17 January 1881 – 29 March 1948). Details and ephemera from many of Prices investigations are to be found in the special collections at SHL (Senate House Library). 

At his laboratory for Psychical Research, Price carried out a series of 'controlled séances' utilising various apparatus he had invented to test psychic powers. Notes, detailing every event that occurred during the séance, were recorded by one of the sitters and later published in a book, Stella C. An Account of Some Original Experiments in Psychical Research (Hurst & Blackett Ltd., London, 1925) now held in the special collection at SHL. Sparkes invited and directed several of SHLs' staff in a recorded reading of the notes taken during one of the Stella Cranshaw séances. The recording, was edited together with footage of the imposing table in the Durning-Lawrence Library where most of the Voices in the Dark events are taking place.

A series of light bulbs and glass jars, referencing Prices; Psychic testing apparatus, illuminate the faces of famous mediums and psychical researchers associated with Harry Price. From left to right these are: Eileen J. Garrett, C.E.M. Joad, Eleonore Zugun, Margery (Mina) Crandon, Stella Cranshaw, Harry Price, Helen Duncan, Eric Dingwall, Voirrey Irving, Rudi Schneider.
With thanks to séance readers: Bianca Bristow, Richard Espley, Charles Harrowell, Jordan Landes, Kelly Marshall. Thanks to Charles Harrowell for his role as sound engineer and for setting up the recordings.

Sarah Sparkes is an artist and curator. She runs the visual arts and research project GHost (initiated with Ricarda Vidal in 2008) and has published on and regularly lectures about this subject. She has exhibited widely, both in the UK and internationally. Recent exhibitions and commissions include: MERU Art*Science Award III Edition, GAMeC, Bergamo, Italy; English Magic at New Art Projects, London; Fall of the Rebel Angels at Venice Biennale; Theatrical Dynamics at Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles, U.S.A; Overtime at London Maritime Museum and Stephen Lawrence Gallery; Haunted Landscapes at Falmouth University and AIRM2014, Romney Marsh, U.K. She is currently developing a new commission for an exhibition exploring science and magic, curated by Rob La Frenais for FACT in Liverpool.
Recent publications: The GHost Project: manifesting ghosts through visual art and creative research, chapter in The Ashgate Research Companion to Paranormal Cultures, edited by Olu. Jenzen & Sally R Munt, (Ashgte: 2013)
Entries on Ghosts and GHost Project. In: Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies, edited by Matt Cardin (ABC Clio: 2015).

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

MERU Art*Science Award III Edizione


I am delighted to be the recipient of the MERU Art*Science Award, III Edition (nominated by Rob La Frenais).  My film, Time You Need, will be exhibited at GAMeC  (Gallery d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea) as part of the 13th Bergamo Science Festival.  The work will become part of GAMeC’s permanent collection, the archives of the Fondazione Meru and the Association BergamoScienza.

MERU Art*Science Award III EditionSarah Sparkes: TIME YOU NEED02.10 – 29.11  2015GAMeC – Gallery d’Arte Moderna e ContemporaneaVia San Tomaso, 5324121 BergamoItalywww.gamec.itTime You Need, by Sarah Sparkes explores the potential for consciousness to time-travel within the material limits of the human body. Using the symbolism of the portal and black hole, as they are conceptualised in both science and science fiction, the film presents a montage of narratives and documentation of performances and installations, which together with sonic and visual disruptions, create a liminal experience for the spectator.
The proposition is that one may find, herein, the time one needs.

Thanks to:  Sooz Belnavis , Café Gallery Projects London, Chelsea School of Art and Design, Rebecca Feiner, Phillip Raymond Goodman, Caroline Gregory, Rob La Frenais, Patrick Morrissey, Dr Pietro M. Reviglio, Anne Robinson, St. John on Bethnal Green, Ian Thompson, Robert Whytehead.