Prints at the British Museum

I have two etchings from the Interned Workers series included in this exhibition at the British Museum.

The works were made in collaboration with Paupers Press, London.

British Museum, London, UK

Discover the significant collection of contemporary British art held at the British Museum through a selection of around 100 prints and drawings, dating from 1960 to today.

Contemporary collecting explores the relationship between the British Museum's contemporary and historical collections through works of art inspired by art history.

The selection shows contemporary artists continuing to engage with political and social issues, through works such as Sarah Ball's anonymous portraits of interned people and Joy Gerrard's Vigil/Protest (Westminster 14th March 2021), an ink drawing depicting a vigil and protest following the murder of Sarah Everard in London in 2021.

Contemporary collecting demonstrates the range and diversity of the Museum’s contemporary Prints and Drawings collection. Including works by Caroline Walker, David Hockney, Michael Craig-Martin, Cornelia Parker, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Richard Deacon, Celia Paul, Soheila Sokhanvari, Pablo Bronstein, Glenn Brown and Ann-Marie James.

THE INFINITE WOMAN

Sarah Ball features in 'The Infinite Woman'

Fondation Carmignac, Porquerolles Island, France

27 April–2 November 2024

The 'Infinite Woman’, curated by Alona Pardo, investigates a spectrum of female stereotypes, and their relationship to art. Ideas of the siren, mother, goddess, demon, caregiver and lover, among others, are explored, examined and disrupted. Organised thematically, the group exhibition sets out to expand on and experiment with artistic renderings of these modes of womanhood. 

Exhibiting artists include Michael Armitage, Sarah Ball, Sandro Botticelli, Louise Bourgeois, Lisa Yuskavage, Egon Schiele, Kiki Smith, John Currin, Tracey Emin, Willem De Kooning, France-Lise McGurn and Judy Chicago. 

Sarah Ball: Tilted Stephen Friedman Gallery, New York 23 February - 23 March 2024

“[Dandies] have no other calling but to cultivate the idea of beauty in their persons, to satisfy their passions, to feel and to think.” - Charles Baudelaire, The Painter of Modern Life (1863).

Stephen Friedman Gallery presents the first solo exhibition by British artist Sarah Ball in New York. The show comprises a new body of paintings exploring notions of dandyism in the 21st century. This presentation precedes a major solo exhibition at Longlati Foundation, Shanghai in 2025.

Portraying individuals who embrace self-expression and challenge conventions of gender, Ball spotlights facial features, hairstyles, clothing, jewellery, and makeup that unveil their unique qualities. The artist draws inspiration from diverse sources such as street casting, archival photographs, and social media. Set against flat expanses of colour and confined within tightly framed compositions, Ball imparts a surreal, timeless quality to her subjects by deliberately withholding any narrative about their identity.  

Ball's new work is heavily influenced by the figure of the dandy, a concept popularised by poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). For Wilde, the dandy was a man who diligently attended to his appearance, clothing, and lifestyle. Often cultivating an indifferent air, the classic dandy was as much a character as an aesthetic.  

This ideal found its roots in Beau Brummell (1778-1840), a pioneering figure who fundamentally altered the trajectory of men's fashion by setting a new standard of elegance – abandoning wigs and adopting well-fitted trousers instead of breeches. In recent history, ‘dandy’ has been used to refer either to a fastidious or a flamboyant dresser, typified by groups such as Teddy Boys, Judies, Mods and sapeurs.  

Discussing dandyism in relation to her new body of work, Ball explains: “I've come to realise that there isn't a description – the idea is a fluid one and it can change in respect to the social, political, and cultural climate of the time. Certain attributes though seem to be a given – theatricality, creativity, style, flamboyance, individuality, and a certain degree of (non-gendered) camp. In her 1964 essay ‘Notes on Camp’, Susan Sontag refers to camp as "the modern day Dandyism” in the age of mass culture – this particularly resonates with me.” 

One of Ball’s subjects, Henry, is depicted in several paintings. Each one embodies this “modern day Dandyism” and showcases the sitter’s sartorial elegance. In one painting Henry dons a beret, a pair of braces, and a vintage Arrow shirt and collar. In another they are depicted wearing bright red lipstick with rouged cheeks. This playful defiance of conventional gender roles connects each work in the show. Declan wears a billowing Simone Rocha gown while holding a long-haired guinea pig. Wrapped ceremoniously in a lace handkerchief, the sitter’s pet is presented to the viewer like a votive offering. This eccentricity continues in 'Pink Elliot' (2023), whose facial hair is offset by the ostentatious pink ruffles cascading down his shirt. Viewed alongside one another, the variety of Ball’s sitters in the exhibition reveals the breadth of contemporary dandyism.

Migrate Art presents 'From The Ashes', an exhibition and auction to raise funds (ARTDAILY.COM)

Migrate Art / Displayed at The Old Truman Brewery in London

From The Ashes

February 20th - 25th, 2024

Auction: Christie’s, London, March 2024

Migrate Art, the pioneering arts organisation that harnesses the power of creativity to support the world’s most vulnerable communities, presents its latest project, From the Ashes, dedicated to raising funds for two Indigenous Associations of Upper Xingu in the Amazon Rainforest, whose land has been extensively targeted by illegal deforestation. Produced in collaboration with the London-based arts research centre People’s Palace Projects, From The Ashes comprises an exhibition of new works by 27 contemporary artists - Indigenous and non-Indigenous - from around the world, including Cornelia Parker, Idris Khan, Loie Hollowell, Richard Long, Shezad Dawood and Tacita Dean, which will be on view at The Old Truman Brewery in London in February 2024 and go on sale as part of Christie’s Post War and Contemporary art auctions in March 2024.

Artists participating in From The Ashes include:

Aislan Pankararu, André Griffo, Andy Goldsworthy, Antonio Tarsis, Alfie Caine, Cornelia Parker, Glenys Johnson, Gokula Stoffel, Harminder Judge, Idris Khan, Indigenous artisans of the Ulupuwene and Topepeweke villages, John Kørner, Julie Curtiss, Kamo Waurá, Loie Hollowell, María Berrío, Mary Mattingly, Michel Mouffe, Nigel Cooke, Piers Secunda, Richard Long, Richard Woods, Robert Longo, Samuel de Saboia, Sarah Ball, Shezad Dawood, Tal R, Tacita Dean and Tony Bevan.

These illustrious artists have joined forces to create unique From The Ashes pieces, using paints, inks and pastels formulated from the ash and charcoal salvaged from the burnt remnants of the Amazon. These works will be auctioned at Christie’s, with proceeds supporting the resistance of the Xingu people, and sustain indigenous fire brigades through purchasing equipment and funding training programmes. Funds raised will also support the development of indigenous-led reforesting initiatives across the Xingu territory to help the forest recover.

Migrate Art

Founded in 2016 by Simon Butler, Migrate Art is a social enterprise that collaborates with renowned artists to create meaningful art, donating profits to groups who support marginalised and displaced individuals and communities across the globe. Since its launch, Migrate Art has raised over £1.6 million for its charity partners and has worked with many of the world’s leading artists including Anish Kapoor, Mona Hatoum, Antony Gormley, Shepard Fairey and Rachel Whiteread.