Fully Awake 6:6

The culmination of a six part exhibition cycle at Holden Gallery, Manchester School of Art

November 4^th 2021 – December 17^th 2021

Fully Awake is a cycle of six exhibitions which embraces an inter-generational approach to celebrating the practice and teaching of painting. Curated by Ian Hartshorne & Sean Kaye for the organisation Teaching Painting, whose remit is to produce publications, symposia, conferences and exhibitions celebrating the teaching of painting within Art Schools at all levels.

Sue Williams with Terry Setch and Geraint Ross Evans

David Alker with Michael Brick and Inga Lineviciute

Eliza Bonham Carter with John Dougill and Sarah PootsGraham Chorlton with Michael Brick and Jack Foster

Dan Coombs with Ken Kiff and Fatemah Bagherian

James Green with John Strutton and Hannah Short

Atsuhide Ito with Mick Finch and Harriet Poznansky

Peter Layzell with Roger Woodiwiss and Abi Hampsey

Donal Moloney with Lisa Milroy and Stephanie Carr

Kathleen Mullaniff with Mario Dubsky and Liz Arnold

Sarah Pickstone with Prunella Clough and Sara Anstis

Wayne Robinson with Tom McGuirk and Amy Robinson

Gary Simmonds with Peter Lloyd Lewis and Conor Rogers

John Strutton with Alan Miller and Stephen Dunne

Ruth Sumner with John Lancaster and Tom Robertson

Funded by Wales Arts International, Sanshang Museum of Contemporary Art and University of Wales Trinity St David Swansea .

The Sangshang Museum of Contemporary Art in Hangzhou invited OPEN BOOKS to be exhibited between September and December 2013 and was an integral part of a programme looking at the tradition of folding and expanding artist books and is part of an annual programme 'Decanter Ink' to promote contemporary ideas about Chinese ink painting and culture. Exhibiting alongside historical work by Chinese painters from early and mid 20th century and contemporary Chinese ink artists who are taking on this traditional context. I gave a number of lectures on my work at The China Academy of Art, Hangzhou and the University of Hong Kong. A body of research had been gathered:

Men and women communicate differently and some of the factors contributing to this might be cultural or tradition, background or upbringing as well as the obvious issues surrounding personalities. Whilst social and sexual recognition has been paramount within western culture, China has been known for its culturally engrained and profound discrepancy in the female status. Plus with the 'one child' policy, China is dealing with a higher population ratio of men to women highlighting an unequal balance in gender. How does communication between men and women in china differ to western culture and how do Chinese women relate to their own femininity and sexuality within this state of unbalance, particularly when confronted by their counterparts in western culture?

OPEN BOOKS as toured throughout the UK, including Aberyswyth Library; Bristol Academy; China; Shanghai; Hong Kong; Australia; Canada; India; USA and will be exhibited in Hong Kong; China; Japan; India and Dubai in 2019/2020.