Colour!

An art exhibition called Colour! may conjure up images of rainbow-splashed canvases and bold and bright paintings, but although ArtSpace's latest exhibition in York promises dazzling colours, its message is more than skin deep. As gallery owners Greg McGee and Ails Denholm explain: "We want to address the social issues that come with colour, but most importantly, to have very good fun."

While painting, chatting and sipping wine at one of the Tower Street gallery's Friday night jamming sessions, the owners and artists came up with an inspirational idea: "How exciting would it be if we could display the diversity of influences of some of our artists?"

A few months later, Colour! was born, showcasing Indonesian artist Tato, British Indian artist Kalindi and British Chinese artist Linda Foo Tomlinson. They bring together the diversity of their influence, to create awareness, as Linda explains, "that we're more than just skin".

Tato's oil paintings display a spectrum of influences, from traditional Indonesian art to typical English landscapes, always with a tropical feel. His art naturally reflects the mixture of cultures he has experienced, finding inspiration in anything from the "reflection of willows in the river, starlings in the elderberry bush to Flemish and Russian artists and tattoos from Borneo".

Co-owner Ails Denholm says: "The artists have no mission statement. We wanted to get past the idea that, for example, just because Linda is Chinese she creates Chinese art. There is nothing forced about the artists' influences."

British Chinese artist Linda Foo Tomlinson is interested in the interaction between artist and viewer. She is exhibiting a collection of images that have particular personal or cultural meaning for her. Then, if viewers like a particular image, they can take it home, so long as they replace it with another image of their own that means something to them. "I want to try through the concepts in my work to encourage cultural exchange," she says. "Putting a visual map of my life on display might encourage some kind of response."

She is keen to emphasise that "it's all fun really; there's a strong element of play. It's important not to take it too seriously!"

British Indian artist Kalindi does the exhibition's name justice, using the brightest of colours, and drawing influence from Holi, the Hindu festival of colour. Kalindi explains her decisions: "I chose citra-fusion' work, bright, variegated work, stuff that developed the ideas I had on culture and ethnicity. Holi is a very colourful festival! But my art is anything but sophisticated. I don't sit down and think let's do Indian art'. Saying that, I can't help but have an interest in developing my ethnic identity, but it's not forced."

All of the artists have a strong connection with York and are excited to showcase their work here. ArtSpace co-owner Greg McGee believes that "culturally, York is pretty fossilised. There's a beauty in that, but it's exciting to get artists involved who all have different influences."

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From The ArtSpace Magazine Issue 6, Spring 2006

Beware the Thought Police. With a few stodgy opinions they can kill all things flirty and fun. Look what they’ve done to Brussels – accepted opinion at smirking dinner parties everywhere is that it is an amusingly bland city. But there ain’t nothing bland about streets fragrant with roasted coffee, cigar smoke, burnt sugar coated waffles. It beats the stench of soggy British beer mats anyhow. But the Thought Police decree Brussels is boring and its fate is sealed. York is similarly mariginalised, though not quite so nastily. Too many people think of us as fossilized with souvenir and tea shops, as if our only claim to glamour was Roman and Viking re-enactments. But we know better, dear reader. We know that even the briefest finger on the city’s pulse tells us that York’s art scene is in astonishingly rude health. Nightlife? Blue Fly, VJ’s, Evil Eye! Festivals? York Music Live, York Magic Festival! Art? The ArtSpace! And a few other places too. Tickety bloody boo. Moo!

Our latest exhibition ‘Colour!’ looks at the influence of York on work from artists with different cultural reference points: Indonesian, Indian, Chinese (see inner sleeve). It’s a resonant theme: York is a very white city, and Kalindi, Tato and Linda Foo-Tomlinson discuss how the local social landscape affects their work, both consciously and subliminally. Kalindi and Linda also talk about the success of the Cultural Diversity Project. As well as this we’re sticking with artists from last month’s exhibition ‘Sleight of Hand’. Why? Because the work is colourful and we’d like to give it a longer chance to sell that’s why! Nosey. And if you had the chance to bedabble your walls with Rory Motion, David Kettley and Magda Maria Brieger, you would, and you know it. We’re also including new favourite Simon Wallace and edgy young punk Jamie McKay. Come and browse, and if the mood takes you, buy – buying original art is happily on the increase. The days of creepy ‘cute’ prints from ugly ‘art’ (my a*se) shops are numbered.