We are delighted to be hosting My Life in London by ActionSpace artists Thompson Hall and Ian Wornast as our first exhibition of 2019!
My Life in London is the culmination of a year of creative explorations by ActionSpace artists Thompson Hall and Ian Wornast, funded by an Unlimited Emerging Artist Commission.
Over 2017, Hall and Wornast spent time visiting landmarks, museums and galleries and researching the history of London. Bringing a wealth of information and inspiration back to the studio, they created a collection of paintings and drawings reflecting on their personal experiences of living in and moving around London in the 21st century.
Ian Wornast’s drawings detail the busy public transport system and the rapidly changing cityscape. He uses maps and the colours, graphic design and symbols as references to create patterns. The result is a detailed and colourful mapping of London as Ian experiences it.
Thompson Hall’s spontaneous and bright paintings blend his West African family ancestry and the great cultural institutions in London that inspire him and his work. His paintings are a portrait of his personal history and the architecture and landmarks that are important to him.
“This was a surprising and playful look at the geography and geometry of London, developed as a visual landscape… a welcome addition to the Unlimited catalogue that was both refreshing and light hearted whilst asking the audience to look at depictions of London in a very different way.”
509 arts, independent artistic assessment for Unlimited
12 January – 27 February
Reception and artist talk: 07 February, 6pm-8pm
About the artists
Thompson Hall has an uncanny eye for detail. He uses observational sketches of the urban landscape and objects in galleries and museums as the basis for dynamic drawings and paintings that depict the world in glorious Technicolor.
Ian Wornast creates bold, colourful drawings reflecting his love of London and the public transport system. Working from a combination of sourced images and memories, he creates intricate patterns that weave together into complex tableaux of the mapped city as he sees it.
Thompson Hall says of his work: “My paintings are a combination of the galleries in London and West African influences from my Mom’s side of the family… What I’ve done in this commission is different to what I’ve done before. It’s very much about, you know, how I see myself and how other people see me.”
Ian Wornast says of his work: “My work is about transport links and changes. I see and notice sites that are being built and they catch my eye… For this commission I am working on a very long drawing that is taking about 6 weeks. I am almost finished it. It’s one of the biggest pieces I have ever done!”
About ActionSpace
ActionSpace is a London based visual arts organisation. Launched in the 1960s and registered as a charity in 1984, ActionSpace supports artists with learning disabilities and creates innovative projects for people with learning disabilities to engage with the visual arts.
About Unlimited
Unlimited is an arts commissioning programme that aims to embed work by disabled artists within the UK and international cultural sectors, reach new audiences and shift perceptions of disabled people. Unlimited has been delivered by the disability-led arts organisation Shape Arts and arts-producing organisation Artsadmin since 2013, and is funded from 2016-20 by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, British Council and Spirit of 2012.
top image: Thompson Hall (left) & Ian Wornast (right)
