2 June 2006
The V&A Theatre Museum has linked up with artists supported by Thames Reach Bondway to produce an exhibition of art based on the theme of theatre.
The exhibition – ‘stages’ – runs from Monday, June 12 to Friday, June 17 at the Hackney Empire at 291 Mare Street, London, E8 1EJ. Admission is free.
The work has been produced by artists who are homeless or have had experience of homelessness. Most attend Vision Impossible, an art studio run by Thames Reach Bondway. Three artists from both Crisis Skylight and Core Arts make up the group of 15.
After attending a series of V&A workshops, the artists toured both the V&A Theatre Museum and Hackney Empire and were granted access to information from the V&A Theatre Archives. The resulting artwork ranges from painting and collage to prints and photography.
The exhibition forms part of the Spice Festival, an annual event bringing local art, music and performance under one roof at the Hackney Empire.
Simon Powell, art co-ordinator at Vision Impossible, said: "It's been amazingly rewarding working with such highly regarded organisations as the V&A and Hackney Empire. It marks our artists' emergence from the margins of the art world to the mainstream."
The Vision Impossible project encourages its members to produce work that can be exhibited and sold, and has recently launched a website containing a picture gallery and information on buying and renting art, at www.visionimpossible.org.
