“Light by the sea” is an initiative of several organisations of the town of Den Helder with the main objective to utilise the qualities of the surroundings, dominated by the natural elements and to promote these and the cultural heritage of Den Helder. With the organising of two exhibits the Richter Foundation delivers a clear contribution to this initiative.”

Six young artist are selected by Simon Betss , art- director of the Wimbledon College of Art to work and live together for ten days divide in two groups of three artists and during this period will hopefully be inspired by those things that are typically Den Helder.

Each group will finish by exhibiting their work in a group exhibit that will be a combination of their own work mixed with boundary breaking themes as a reaction to the surrounding area.

The first group, arrives on the 9th of July and consists of
Dexter Dymoke – Wimbledon College of Art, UAL
Katie Comerford – Goldsmiths College of Art
Stephanie Conway – The Slade, College of Art, UCL

Dexter Dymoke:
My practice embodies an emotional engagement with space and materials, and an ongoing exploration of the tensions and resonance set up by their juxtaposition. This coincides with a parallel examination of the aesthetics of the materials themselves and their metaphorical potentiality, and a desire to find new ways to test and develop intuitive recognition within the audience. Using an almost forensic approach to “material as signifier”, in my practice I aim to initiate dialogues that lead to unfamiliar but logical conclusions.

In Den Helder I want to bring this approach to bear within the maritime context of the place, and perhaps find a way to acknowledge and reflect narratives of discovery and quest common to our two countries

Katie Comerford:
I am interested in the idea that there are other existences that live within our world. I find these worlds through people who live on the outside of mainstream society. I am excited at the prospect of continuing these explorations in Holland. My main objective is to use this rare opportunity of having a big area to work in. I have always been directed by space, and find it interesting how sometimes space can adopt a history. I hope the experience in Holland will influence my work in some way and make me question my practice.

At the moment I am working on video as medium, and want to use this opportunity to explore the co-existence of video and space.

Stephanie Conway:
The work of Stephanie Conway is open and exploratory, while still maintaining its theoretical support, namely what is seen or can be interpreted as painting. Her approach to painting entails making pieces that border on “the framework of the art of painting” both literally as well as materially. The framework of the art of painting as a physical and conceptual construction along the way becomes ever clearer and more important and provides all with a underlying tension within the work and serves as a springboard for further discovery.

The second group, arrives on the 9th of August and consists of
David Pullen – Chelsea College of Art & Design
Sophie Jackson – Byam Shaw College of Art,CSM
Ryan Leigh – Wimbledon College of Art

David Pullen:
During the time I will spend in the studio, I will intend to work on some paintings mainly focused on the way they are produced. I create structures in which the paintings are held as they are made, allowing me to total control over their positioning. These structures also give me a basis on which I can add other elements and mechanisms that may develop the paintings technically. The paint I use ranges from regular household paints to silicone. One of the most exciting parts of my work is getting to develop how I use and manipulate the paint in obscure ways

My work is very much dependent on the natural laws, by controlling what happens to the paint physically. On the other hand, I feel that there is a certain lack of control in the way I work. If a certain procedure I take to make the work gets too complicated, it tends to fail, but that it all a part of it.

Sophie Jackson:
As an artist my interests lie in the natural world. I would like to continue making paintings that explore my relationship with visual pleasure and the aesthetic pleasure of nature. My paintings bring out the fantasy I see in everyday scenes through both the landscapes and the animals or plants and tree’s within them. Visiting a beautiful place often inspires me. I then reflect on the visual imagery I’ve collected when I come home. My work is constructed from fragmented memories, photographs and drawing. By layering my landscape scenes with a bright colour pallet I am able to explore a decorative process of painting. In the past I’ve focused on my Australian Heritage and reflected upon cultural differences by using animals as symbols.

I think the experience of working in Holland will drive my practice forward a great deal. I would like to take photographs and make sketches when I arrive and incorporate these elements into my paintings. I’m hoping to develop this idea of travel and by having a residency in abroad I will be informed by new imagery and a different culture.

Ryan Leigh:
Ryan Leigh’s work concerns ideas of reality and the limits of human knowledge. Leigh is fascinated with modern physics and uses science as a tool to explore these ides of reality, what is real? And what is a false. The work also plays on the idea of artifice, a suspended reality, an illusion. Where the illusion acts as a misapprehension of the world it makes the viewer question the validity and truth behind the image they see before them.
Leigh’s photographs are created in a glass tank using various mediums to create specific atmospheric affects; props are also used depending on what type of scene Leigh wishes to create. Small sheets of acetate with painted back-drops are lowered into the tank to help re-create specific locations; this enables the photos to have a wealth of visual information.

Both groups will show their work in two exhibitions at the Richter Foundations “werkatelier”. The first exhibition will take place from the 19th of July till the 4th of August. The second group exhibition takes place from the 16th of August till the 8th of September. Both openings will commence on the starting dates of the exhibitions at 15.00 in the afternoon with the attending of the artists, the invited and interested parties. Through both these exhibitions we will reach several of our objectives. Regularly we offer young artists from Holland and Europe the chance to exhibit their work. Other goals of the “Werkatelier SK” are: to perform a variety of art forms in the broadest sense of the word, to give new and coming talent a chance to expose their work abroad and to be a platform for these artists. Most of the ateliers activities are on a project basis and the objective is to work on a non-profit base.

Address werkatelier SK
Juttersplein 2 – Den Helder
phone: 0031 223 619109
Mail: richterholland@hotmail.com
Website: www.richtereu.com
The werkatelier is open every Tuesday till Saturday from 12 till 17.30 hours.