Activism and Social Change Salon
6.30 – 9.30pm on Zoom

Artquest Salon combines ongoing peer-to-peer feedback on artists' work and presentations by art world professionals. The Activism and Social Change Salon is for artists working with socially engaged practices, artist activists and/or those investigating or encouraging social change through their work.

The first Activism and Social Change Salon included guest presentations by Jane Lawson of Castlefield Gallery and the SUSTAIN and SPARK networks. It will also include presentations from Kate Pickering and Charlotte Warne Thomas of Peer Sessions who facilitated feedback for the two artists later in the evening.

Two artists presented work for feedback:

Rudy Loewe showed two paintings, The Gossip Circle (2022) 170 x 160 cm, acrylic on canvas, and February 1970, Trinidad #1 (2022) 180 x 70 cm, acrylic on canvas. The conversation revolved around the stories of Caribbean culture that the viewers felt were at the heart of the work.

James Paddock showed a film, Mirrored to the Core (2021) 15 minutes, an operatic story of the meeting of two young protagonists who might or might not have been about to start dating. He also showed two images; GCSE GRADE 1, MAYBE 2. (2017) and blinkered (2019) 27 x 24 cm, horse blinkers and acrylic.

Rudy Loewe is a London-based visual artist engaging histories, politics and Caribbean folklore through painting and drawing. Loewe’s practice interrogates what has become truth in the collective memory, envisaging alternate futures that centre black queer trans experience. They weave archival research and collected lived experiences together to contribute towards a dialogue on the systems that shape our lives. Loewe’s approach to painting speaks to their background in comics and illustration — combining text, image and sequential narrative.

@rudyloewe

James Paddock is a British visual artist working in video and installation. With his current project ‘Mirrored to the core’ he collaborated with an Opera Director, a Musical Director/Composer, a Director of Photography and a Sound Recordist to produce a video artwork with an operatic twist. His work has been exhibited in both group and solo shows in the UK and internationally. He has also taken on roles as a facilitator, has given talks and co-developed courses on mental health and the arts.

@jamespaddock100