Ephemeral Vases ‘an attempt at letting go’

Ephemeral

‘things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time’

Letting go

‘allowing someone or something to escape or go free’

Ephemeral Vases ‘an attempt at letting go’ is a free ongoing exhibition of interact-able painting/sculpture hybrids left on the streets and in public spaces. The vases ranging greatly in size, colour and design. Are transitory works which are meant to be interacted with, disappear, reappear, thrown away or claimed. By exhibiting in public spaces, the hope is to inspire curiosity and thought by blurring the lines between an artworks placement, longevity or impermanence, ownership and value. My drawings and paintings although improvised often contain a lot of emotion, memories and autobiography making them very personal. This makes it a hard process. It’s about letting go of work on a physical and emotional level, knowing you’ll probably never see it again.

A major theme for me in this exhibition is the concept of letting go. Both literally and metaphorically. It can be one of the most challenging but necessary parts of life. From literally letting go of an artwork, to a relationship, a job or a whole range of feelings from guilt to anger. The hardest of all being letting go of a loved one.

Earlier in 2023 my wife’s father Therry died of prostrate cancer. It was sudden and chaotic. He died far too young at 63. The family did everything they possibly could but the cancer had spread to the bones, intestines and brain. In the end there was nothing medicine could do. He was a sweet, generous and extremely kind man. I want to dedicate the exhibition to him.