Watch Space on Deansgate 7th April – 2nd May 2022
Artist Maddy Venus has brought together artists working with the theme of form and line in the Watch this Space window at 285 Deansgate, Manchester, from 7th April to 2nd May. Artworks by Maddy’s family members Sarah Venus, Kai Venus and Isatu Hyde will join those of her carpenter friend Johnny Billinge, for what promises to be an exciting display of printmaking, tufted rugs, ceramics and wooden objects.
“This window display showcases my new tufted rugs in a domestic setting, alongside pieces by four other artists and designers working within printmaking, ceramics and carpentry, who’s work I know and admire,” says Maddy Venus. “I have curated this collection of works, which complement each other, with the main focus of the display being on simple and assured form and line.”
Maddy Venus creates lino prints, mixed media sculpture, decorative and practical rugs informed by the observational drawing practice she developed during her studies at university.
Sarah Venus works within printmaking, collage, painting and textiles in a purposefully broad range of media. Interaction, tension and response between people, the elements and the environment are consistent concerns within her work, expressed primarily with bold colour and abstraction.
Kai Venus is a multidisciplinary wood worker with a passion for the simple and functional. Using wood from managed British woodland, Kai creates pieces of work ranging from original furniture to bespoke small architecture.
Isatu Hyde works almost solely on the potter’s wheel, designing and make functional ceramics for the home. She is inspired by pre-industrial and ancient craft and sculpture of all materials from around the world, and enjoy working with primitive forms in a contemporary context.
Johnny Billinge alternates between woodwork and metal fabrication, focusing on shaping and surfacing techniques to develop mid-century inspired furniture pieces made from local, responsibly sourced materials.
Watch this Space is a project run by Great Northern Warehouse in association with arts collective, Dez Rez Projects to spotlight artists and creative businesses working in Greater Manchester. Follow the installations as they happen and tune into Maddy’s takeover from 9th&10th April on Instagram @dezrezprojects
