‘houseworkwork’ is an exhibition of collaborative drawing and installation by Both Laughing collective Nick Grellier and Emily Lucas.
Over the last 18 months they set themselves the task of making work taking diverse references from Valerie Solanas and Roland Barthes to Dolly Parton and Loyle Carner. Their work is grounded in drawing practice and rich research that explores, discovers, invents, solves problems and cracks jokes. The resulting exhibition presents artwork unlike their individual practices.
The partnership shows new artwork made using low value, low fi materials and objects from around the home, including baby wipes, stencils, felt tip pens and printing stamps, in order to tackle the problem of emotion versus seriousness and other hierarchies both in the art world and wider society. The work is both playful and serious, celebrating difficulties and achievements in a domestic setting.
The collaboration began after a series of in-depth discussions between the two artists about the nature of drawing, including topics that began to intersect on issues within drawing discourse concerning hierarchy, the problems of being a woman artist, artist mothers, the inherent difficulties in verbal and written communication, and the importance of both knowing and not-knowing when art-making, particularly in drawing – a traditionally low status art activity.
Together, they have begun to develop their own manifesto for drawing as a way to embrace mistakes, test out new ideas and acknowledge non-binary viewpoints and grey areas.
Please note : The works will be installed throughout the house in ways which the artists hope will produce added layers of playfulness and provocation. Public interaction with some of the pieces will be encouraged. The collaboration and this event form a fundamentally important element of Lucas's research PhD, and it is intended that the now established partnership will continue onward.
‘houseworkwork’ will be open for the Open Studios weekends - 11am-6pm 10th-11th June and 17th-18th June 2023.
9 Church Street, Stroud, Glos, GL5 1JL.
Brick house on main road bend to right of Church Square new builds opposite car park.