Last week, we took to Plantroom in Hackney Wick for an electric exhibition featuring DJs, live artists, dancing and drinks in collaboration with The Five Points Project. The lofty venue buzzed with excitement as artists, friends, and art lovers gathered to admire the works of our six exhibiting artists and see the creative projects of our three live artists unfold across the evening. We got to witness Abs Rickett go from blank canvases to two completed pieces, Tapi Gurure freestyle 12 pieces, letting the end result come unplanned, and Tanya Galia paint a dancer in motion, all set to the soundtrack of our two DJs, UNTZAR and SEXY G.
Thanks to everyone who came out and made this event so special - we can't wait to see you at the next one! Make sure to follow us on Instagram to stay in the loop with upcoming events, including artist call-outs and early bird tickets.
Scroll down to see what we got up to and learn more about our incredible exhibiting artists...
Eddie Donaldson: 'As an artist, I love working intuitively, letting my instincts take the lead instead of sticking to a set plan. Painting feels like meditation to me—it brings me into the present and helps clear my mind. Every brushstroke pulls me deeper into what’s in front of me. I lose track of time and just focus on the canvas. My paintings never feel finished because I’m more focused on
the process than the final product. I get people asking me what my work is about and I never really know. A lot of the time I don’t know what I’m painting until it’s already done. Focusing on the journey keeps my work alive and constantly evolving.' Pictured: Eddie with her work (right).
Kaylum Robinson (KGNR): 'As an artist my purpose has always been clear. I love to express my thoughts and emotions through a dynamic style of broad brushstrokes, heavy textures, poetry and bold compositions. This often comes in many forms including realism, and abstract shapes. I have always aimed to evoke subjective emotional responses from my audience, I want everyone to create their own meaning and narrative based on their own thoughts and emotions. Lots of my work comes from places I didn’t know exist in my mind and I think that’s the true beauty of my practice.' Pictured: Kaylum with his work (left).
Pictured: works by Abs Rickett
Abs Rickett, an exhibiting and live artist: 'On Thursday I took part in the Five Points and BRUSHWRK exhibition. I did a live painting, over two canvases. I normally use black and white acrylic, however, I wanted to do something different so I used a range of different materials such as oil paint, ink, oil pastel and acrylic. Previously I used black and white when doing live paintings but I wanted to push myself by using new materials and not planning in advance. I felt the atmosphere and venue contributed to my pairing. Having small conversations here and there with people passing, hearing their opinions and thoughts. My final piece I felt reflected the atmosphere well, being a sort of organised chaos, reflected by words and movement captured within the painting.'
Pictured: Tapi's work (left)
Tapiwanashe Gurure, an exhibiting and live artist, 'is a London based artist who is originally from Zimbabwe but grew up in Sheffield for most of his formative years. He is a multidisciplinary artist, who was mostly working in film and textiles initially, but over covid found painting through a need to examine the present. Initially the practice started through meditation, and a desire to live in the now and to work through the images and feelings the subconscious was constantly drawing to the surface. The only way through transpired to be painting. The drawings originally started off as a means of mindfulness meditation during the first covid quarantine. Mindfulness is the act of being, or at least attempting to be completely present, and the paintings became an extension of that process. As time passed the art turned into studies of his environment and present circumstances - like a visual diary. Each painting involves multiple layers that are then drawn over. The subjects are drawn from dreams, the subconscious, the visual space between spaces, and depictions of objects or people that were there or meant a lot at the time. Through this process each painting began to tell a story. Each painting takes at least 3 months. The title of each is the span of the dates it took to complete.' Pictured: Tapi working on his live art piece (above) and his work at the exhibition (left).
Pictured: work by Purity Philip (right)
'Purity Philip, a multifaceted artist born in 1997 and currently based in the vibrant heart of London, seamlessly blends the worlds of painting, illustration, and graffiti. With an innate
talent for storytelling through art, Purity captivates audiences with her unique vision and
immersive experiences. Her debut solo exhibition, "Something About Connection," unveiled in the spring of 2022 within the historic confines of Dalston's underground venues, marked the genesis of her artistic journey. Through meticulous curation, Purity transformed the space into a sensorial playground, inviting viewers to explore the depths of human
connection through her canvases. Building upon the success of her showcase, Purity's
sophomore exhibition, "Something About Existence," returned to the same venue a year
later, reaffirming her status as a rising star in the contemporary art scene. Venturing beyond
her native London, Purity embarked on a solitary journey across America, where she
immersed herself in diverse landscapes to infuse her British-Caribbean heritage with the
kaleidoscope of wildlife and beauty found worldwide. This fusion of cultures and
environments culminates in her richly detailed surrealistic paintings, offering viewers a
glimpse into Purity's mesmerising world of imagination and introspection. With each
brushstroke, Purity Philip continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression, leaving an
indelible mark on the global art landscape.'
Azeri Aghayeva: 'My work has recently been hijacked by an enigmatic 13th century cleric named Molla Nesreddin from the Caucasus regions, and his thick oily mustache can be seen possessing all of the subjects and narratives in my work. Nesreddin is renowned for his satirical commentary on society and ridiculed the world around him, playing with the meaningless of it. I know that he is mocking me, with his sly grin, but we have entered a playful dance of mocking each other - I can feel his satire ripping into my identity as a Westerner with Azerbaijani heritage - “Azerbaijani girl?” He says - You’re as Azerbaijani as an apple pretending to be a Pomegranate. Even when I attempt to draw a voluptuous Middle Eastern woman, somehow he takes over my hand when I reach her top lip and there it is again, another thick mustache. Together we attempt to sabotage the painting, each vying to disrupt the image first. I try to beat him in this sabotage but he always beats me to it. When his face appears, I try to disrupt the account of Zoroastrian heritage and Azeri folk myself by hiding the stories I want to tell in his skirt, as
the nature of fabric hides narrative when it folds and undulates, flowing and collapsing over itself.
Sometimes I sneak in landscapes of fire worship and sacrificial rituals I experienced as a child in the gaps between his limbs, such as between the keyhole of his arms when he has his sassy pose with his arm on his hip. Somehow, despite his nuisance, Nesreddin’s presence has lent itself to teaching me how to manipulate the nuances of narrative and story-telling skills, and craft a more compelling portrayal about the bygone times in the Caucasus.
Now It is only through Nesreddin, and his omniscient crooked-toothed grin that I can impart these stories, tales that carry profound weight while remaining shrouded in an air of mystery, similar to the tales he would tell which hold a derisive recital of the world he inhabits - and though he no longer inhabits this world, he still walks the plains of my paintings. Or so I think he does, but maybe this was a whole fight club situation, and this man that I have imagined so well turns out to be myself, playing a game of ecotage with none other than myself - after all, we all have a capacity towards self-sabotage.'
Click here to browse remaining prints for sale from the exhibition, all at £25 per print.
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