LOCATION is the current DESTINATION for urban art lovers

East Ham, London, England. A red door in an otherwise ordinary street, in a familiar suburban surrounding. 

Red door studios are currently holding an exhibition of four London artists- Gaye Black, Ian Bailey, Lynne Blackburn and David Apps. I went along to the opening night, where as well as mingling with the artists and old friends, I was lucky enough to see TV Smith perform live for the second time. 

After a walk, a train and two tube changes, we (Me and my Mum) found ourselves at East Ham tube station. After getting lost on straight line directions, and my GPS navigation on my phone failed us, a zealous and friendly pub door-man pointed us in the right direction. Which was, after all, to keep going on the simple straight road.

Fashionably late and slightly frustrated we arrived at last at our destination. Location.

Passing through the open red door, I was immersed into the happily busy ambiance of the exhibition. Squeezing and excusing my way into the main room, I acknowledge some familliar faces and join the audience of TV Smith's already begun performance. He sings and plays to his attentive audience with eager passion, his lyrics fueling the energy that fills the room. 

He finishes his set and I give away my barely-sipped flinchingly strong cup of punch. Time to look at some art I reckon.

My own picture

Gaye Black's art works were the most appealing to me, as many of them addressed issues of animal cruelty and exploitation in well-composed collages. As a vegetarian and animal lover they caught my attention immediately.

Picture taken from the facebook event page, posted by Gaye Black

Photo taken by Rhiannon Ifans

Photo taken by Rhiannon Ifans

These are just some of the pieces that are available for view and for purchase at the event. I was pleased with Gaye's work, and relieved that I enjoyed it after being a fan of The Adverts, the late 70s punk band she was a part of along with TV Smith.

She was kind enough to let me have a picture with her. Behind us you can see another of her collages, below a screen-print by Lynne Blackburn.

Photo by Rhiannon Ifans

David App's work is familiar to me, and his carefully created photographic art never fails to draw the eye. There seemed to be many lost gazes finding themselves focused on his pictures. They're thought provoking but never ugly- the right balance of 'art' with always enough aesthetic. His passion for his city is unmistakable in many of his images, such as "Pearly" shown below. He also has a book of London Photography,  'East End: East London Photography'.

Photo by Rhiannon Ifans

Mum's favourite art was the bowl of cheesy balls.

After looking at everything a few times, and not being able to afford any of the pieces (though reasonably priced!) I settled on buying an Adverts Cd, and took the opportunity to have it signed by Gaye and Tim (TV Smith). 

My own picture of me and TV Smith :)



Some more pictures from the night: 

Photo by Rhiannon Ifans. David Apps work in the center, with handmade frame. To the left and right, Gaye's work.

'The future is unwritten' by Lynne Blackburn

Photo by Rhiannon Ifans. Mind Control lampshade by Ian Bailey.

The Exhibition is open until 24th May, where some prints are available as well as the originals. Worth a gander! More pictures can be seen at http://reddoorstudioseastham.wordpress.com/gallery/