published in full at corrdior8.co.uk
Artists across our isle often find themselves well-acquainted with remnants of England’s industrial past. Though not necessarily by choice. Soaring property values and eye-watering rents mean that once-derelict Salfordian cotton mills now serve as cross-disciplinary arts studios, and car garages have become experimental music venues. Culture workers grab what space they can with the little they have; it just so happens that the cheapest option is usually a grim industrial estate on the edge of town.
One artist in this very position is realist painter, Tommy Harrison. Stockport-born, now Ardwick-based, I find Harrison hidden away on the still-active Maple industrial estate, a short walk from Manchester Royal Infirmary. Scaffolders and glass-makers play footy in the car park as I snake around the site. Harrison’s studio sits in the furthest corner, and on the sunny Wednesday I meet him, his usually-shuttered entrance is wide open.
Supported by his resident gallery, GRIMM, and currently on display in London, Harrison’s latest exhibition Displays takes inspiration from this industrial location. Each painting serves up a plane-view peek beyond a shuttered door. What’s on display beyond each ominous gate is what makes Harrison’s work really intriguing. From marble statues to crashed cars, each object has been painstakingly positioned within this industrial frame. Describing these jarring openings, Harrison sees them as an attempt to create tension. A balance of light and dark, open and closed, metal and fabric. Just one note away from harmony, he tells me, like that discordant, jazzy note that doesn’t quite fit.
Markedly distinct from his previous works, the paintings shown in Displays draw clear inspiration from his industrial surroundings and serve as an extensive exploration into a single theme. I chatted to Harrison in his chamomile-tea-littered studio to find out more.
full interview here.
Peter Mercer 