Make! Believe! Make!

Above: Work from Melanie Tomlinson.

Annette Bugansky, Judes Crow, Phil Cuttance, Alice Kettle, Sue Paraskeva, Matt Rowe, Ann Richards, Melanie Tomlinson, Sophie Woodrow

This is a joint exhibition with Portsmouth City Museum, and is on show in their ground floor exhibition space. Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm

Make! Believe! Make! showcases inventive uses of material and the process of making within contemporary craft. What drives us as Humans to innovate, create and make? Working with nine contemporary craft artists we are exposing their making process in order to spark a conversation about how the methods of making have developed. In doing so, each artist presents us with a story and a beginning a middle and an end so we can see where inspiration comes from, why they make and how.

Work from Judes Crow

The artists have explored the museum’s stores to find their inspiration. Find out what they chose and why. Some artists have made new work in response to the museum objects they have chosen; others have made intriguing links between their existing work and museum’s collections.

Work by Matt Rowe

They have also opened up their making process so we can see how the work is conceptually and physically developed, before revealing their own work, some of which is for sale.

In looking back at makers from the past we are celebrating where craft has been, but in this exhibition we are also looking to where craft is going by commissioning new works by five artists; Annette Bugansky, Alice Kettle, Sue Paraskeva, Matt Rowe and Melanie Tomlinson.

Work by Sue Paraskeva

By looking at the journey of making we are able to discuss the reasons and concepts behind the art works, which helps us to evaluate and connect with the importance of making.

Make! Believe! Make! is an exhibition developed as a partnership, between Portsmouth City Museum and Aspex and relates to the gallery’s seasonal question, ‘Does Making things Make us Human?”