The organiser of a student debt themed art exhibition in Peckham says the response to the work has been so good she is considering taking the display ‘on the road’ across the UK, writes Siva Thangarajah…
Curated by artist Jess Gell, the Till Debt Do us Part exhibition at the Peckham Pelican, on display from July 30 to August 05, laid out the financial challenges of being a young graduate.
Pieces explored the pitfalls of student debt, and difficulty securing jobs in an increasingly saturated market, and Ms Gell says audience interest for the show exceeded her expectations.
“I was really pleased with the turnout for the exhibition,” she says. “The venue was full – even my little fan couldn’t cool us all down! I had about 50 people estimated to attend and that amount was great.
“There were lots of opinions brought up and the exhibition created good dialogue about life post-education between different age groups which was nice to see, and what I had intended the event to do.”
Audiences came to see pieces by artists such as Hannah Jolley, who hand-stitched the phrase often too familiar to young job seekers, ‘you have not been successful on this occasion’, over a printed image of her face.
Ms Gell believes these themes are on the forefront of conversation among young and emerging artists, telling the News: “I visited the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy a few days later and there were a few pieces to do with unaffordable housing, so debt and money issues is clearly a relevant topic at the moment.”
After the successful launch, she is planning to take the exhibition on the road, saying: “I have had some interest in taking the exhibition to an Eastbourne gallery and potentially a political arts festival in Liverpool.
“I would also like to continue curating accessible exhibitions that showcase meaningful work and talent of the young generation whilst also creating conversation about relevant and pressing issues.”