DYING ART EXHIBITION EVENT

THE DYING ART

Exhibition Launch

Exhibition open until Sunday 24 May. 12-6pm weekend opening. Friday 12-3pm.

Photos by Aaron Jacob Jones  & Nikki Shaill for Art Macabre (c)

We had a celebration event with a late evening opening of the exhibition THE DYING ART on Thursday 21 May 2015 at The Old School Rooms, URC at The Round Chapel in Clapton. The artists and guests enjoyed meeting one another, eating skull snacks, sipping local brews from Pressure Drop, some drop-in death drawing, and most importantly talking about death together in a positive, sometimes emotional, open way.

Over the week, over 250 visited the exhibition. There was a mixture of different ages, from children and families to older people.  Like responses and thoughts on death itself, the responses that the exhibition has provoked have been varied and individual. From thoughtful discussion, to laughter and sparking anecdotes about funny things that happened at family funerals, to tears and memories shared:

“Made me laugh, made me cry- very poignant” Carole
“Really interesting to see someone returning identity to the dead and items.” Kat
“Great to see so many perspectives on death” Caroline
“So beautiful and thoughtful. So good to see death considered so openly” Anon

Nikki Shaill’s piece – a tribute to her Grandad ‘Relics/Shaill Mail’

Art Macabrel model Steve Ritter posed for some drop-in death drawing with Stanley the Skeleton (modelling some of our macabre merchandise too! Nice rossette placement to make Facebook safe #freethenipple)

 

Curator and Art Macabre director Nikki Shaill looking rather happy! Marie-Louise Jones’ Hairy Mary artwork in the background

 

 

Thanks to everyone for coming and showing your support for the exhibition and Dying Matters Awareness Week. Don’t forget to think about and do the 5 things before you die, on the postcards you took away.

Thanks to our volunteers: Steve Ritter, Amy Nick, Gee Potter, Amy Nick, Emily Lake, Clare Bungey, Heather Shaill, Rosemary Dean & Aaron Jacob Jones (who also took these photos). Thanks to Tasha Marks for donating AVM Curiosities edible anatomical prints- treasures to take away. Thanks to the amazing team at The Round Chapel for hosting us, including Paula, Rob, Joe and Jorn from I Love Chatsworth Rd who pioneered the use of the space as a gallery and gave us the idea!

The Artchemist aka Astrid

 

Matroyshka skull dolls by Karina Yazylyan

Natalie Thomas’ Empty Chair, Aaron Jacob Jones’ The Red Shoes & A Matter of Life and Death by Lizzie Learman

Artist Lozzy Bones with her artworks

Our edible tribute to Paul Koudounaris !

Yes. We’re in Hackney.