Day 22

Betsy Lundquist

Day 21

Tasha Aulls

Day 20

Niina Hartikainen

Day 19

Susan Finlay

Day 18

Mimei Thompson

Day 17

Sarah Gillham

Day 16

Catherine Morland

Day 15

Oliver Brodrick-Ward

Day 14

Henny Acloque

Day 13

Al Braithwaite

Press Release

THE GEORGIE PROJECT
2012

Press Release

On 4^th December 2012 The Georgie Project will hold its inaugural event at Winsor and Newton’s Notting Hill headquarters, The Griffin Gallery.   It is an impressive new contemporary art space that champions emerging artists, hosting Matt Roberts’ Salon Art Prize 2012 two days after our show.  This makes it the perfect venue for such a night.  There will be an art auction run by Sotheby’s, and a performance by Richard Dyer, poet, artist and highly acclaimed art critic, together with live music by young singer songwriter Hoon Young Kim and DJ Rusty Egan, longtime collaborator with Midge Ure.  International Wine Challenge merchant of the year, Lea and Sandeman, are sponsoring the event with homemade Italian delicacies courtesy of boutique company, Olive.

The project was inspired by artist, Natasha Morland’s, desire to celebrate her sister, Georgia Morland, whose sunny disposition lost out in the battle with bipolar disorder and drug and alcohol dependencies resulting in suicide in 2004. The project also aims to ask questions about links between creative minds and mental illness.  Artist Stuart Semple set up the Creative Therapies Fund at Mind, the largest mental health charity in the UK and the one chosen by Stephen Fry to represent as president.  This is where funds raised by the event will be allocated.  The question over whether an artistic temperament makes a person more vulnerable to mental illness is not easily answered without further research.  However it has been proven that therapy for those who struggle, using art and drama, is often the most effective. 

The project takes the following format:  27 artworks with a storyline attached, have been made by 27 artists, in a similar way to the parlour games of Consequences and Exquisite Corpse, whereby each artist has written part of a story together with producing a related image, before selecting another artist they know to respond to their work with a new image and further text.  The result is a fantastical, absurd sequence of works and accompanying story.  The number of artists was chosen because, Georgia, alongside numerous creative such as Jimi Hendrix, Jean Michel Basquiat and Janis Joplin died at 27 years old.  This is the age one is anecdotally most likely to die in a self destructive way.  The collaborative aspect of the project hints in a simple way at the possible benefit to artists working together as opposed to struggling in isolation.  An accompanying book to the show also continues this theme in the questions answered by a number of the artists in regards to their personal views on links between creative minds and mental illness.  A preface has been written by Stuart Semple, and introduction by Natasha Morland, alongside images of all the artworks and storyline.  All profits raised by book sales will also go to Mind.

Many of the participating artists attended the Royal College of Art, Goldsmiths, the Slade and City and Guild of London Art School.  Their careers span from new graduates such as rising star, George Little, part of this year’s Liverpool Biennale and Bloomberg New Contemporaries, to Annabel Emson whose work is in the Saatchi collection and Patrick Hughes, a household name, whose paintings are found in major collections around the world and is the inventor of the optical illusion painting, “reverspective”.

A few words from Natasha Morland on the event:

 “I started the project chiefly because I felt compelled to create something that would embody the spirit of my sister, Georgie, who took her life in 2004 at 27 years old,  in a celebratory way.  The images and text created for the show seem to embody both extremes of her strong character, the dark and the light.  December was Georgie’s birthday and is also a month of extremes.  Those of us lucky enough to have friends, family, cause for joy, and a bit of money in our pockets, have just reason to don our party hats and crack open the bubbly.  However the festive season also highlights the lack that so many people have, often causing those who are looking over the precipice to jump.  So, please do spare a thought for all the people less fortunate than us and equally those amongst us who are forced to smile at this time of year but are silently suffering inside.  If you are unable to come, then do lend your support by buying a book, an artwork, or giving something to Mind. “  

Natasha Morland (born 1973) received her BA from City and Guilds of London Art School in 2007 with first class honours. Since then she has exhibited in London at Transition Gallery, SPACE for its 40th Anniversary show, the RCA, and The Soane Museum amongst others. Her work is featured in the book, "Garden Painters: 21 Contemporary Artists" by Ariel Luke, published by A&C Black 2008. She received a Skinners' Company Phillip Connard Travel Award in 2005 and has been shortlisted for the Celeste Painting prize in 2010. Morland

has accepted a residency with Matt Roberts Arts’ ALAS gallery, London in 2013.

For more information and images please contact:

Jessica Bannister

Jessica.thegeorgieproject@gmail.com

Or see

natashamorland.blogspot.co.uk

Day 12

Annabel Emson

Day 11

Emelia Foss

Day 10

Richard Starbuck

Day 9

Jackie Clark

Day 8

Robbert Rubbish

Day 7

Neal Fox

Day 6

Jeremy Fox

Day 5

Leigh Fox

Day 4

Les Coleman

Day 3

Patrick Hughes 

Day 2

Natasha Morland 

27 Artists, 27 days to go...

We have reached the 27 day mark, an unusual mile stone for most events, but with 27 artists we thought it apt to start the count down by posting one of the works here every day, taking us to the 4th December.

I'm afraid you will have to wait until the event to see the accompanying texts, we wouldn't want to give it all away!

Day 1: Holly Frean

Full House

With only a month to go until the event, things are moving fast. Since the last post we have received the final painting from artist number 27 and have signed off The Georgie Project book. With the preface written by the wonderful artist and curator Stuart Semple, it will have images of all of the artworks and artists as well as the answers to a set of questions that the artists have contributed, exploring creative minds and mental health.

It will be on sale on the 4th December.

The line up for the night is hotting up: We are very excited to announce that artist and poet extraordinaire Richard Dyer will be performing for us at the Gallery. We will also welcome singer songwriter Hoon Young Kim with his guitar and beautiful vocals. This will be followed by renowned DJ, Rusty Egan to send you home with your toes tapping.

We will start to post images of some of the art works here soon so keep an eye out to catch the first glimpse!