We just sent out our first Gallery mailout of the year, if you’re not on the mailing list or you missed it, here’s what we had to say…

CULTIVATE UPDATE: Our first show of 2021 is now open, ReCultivate features the work of 35 carefully selected artists.

This is the start of Cultivate’s tenth year, it might all be about doing it on-line right now but no way are we going to allow a damn virus to stop us..

Our first show of 2021 opened last week, an on-line group show called ReCultivate. A continuation in terms of last year’s shows, an exercise in hitting the ground of the new year running. The show once again is hosted on our sister site and home of Organ magazine, www.organthing.com, this link right here will take you directly to ReCultivate 

It feels like art is more important than ever right now. The connection that a gallery or a collection artists can provide to both each other and to the wider community. The thing I miss more than anything about not being able to put on an open-door physical gallery show, the thing I miss even more than being able to knock nails in to a wall and hanging art, even more than the buzz of an opening night and the gathering together of artists and art followers, more than the selecting and the “hey, come see this new painter we just found”, the thing I miss more than all of that is the locals that would regularly come in. I miss the conversations with the regulars, the people who from the estate by the Shipton Street space, the French woman who works in the local supermarket, the mums and dads who would bring their kids in. The retired council worker who always wanted to be an artist but hasn’t yet let me see anything he’s done. I miss the conversations, the people, the engagement that art affords, those conversations about a particular painting on a wall, about art in general, the conversations that start with “I don’t really understand art”. Art needs to be about people, about community, about engagement, about sharing…

We don’t know when we’ll back to physical shows, when we’ll get to sit in a gallery with a door wide open again. Art must go on though. Last year was mostly about on-line group shows for us, I think we can say the Cultivate shows we put on went rather well, we were pleased with the art, the viewing numbers were great, people from all over the world exploring the shows, artists from all over the world tasking part in the shows. One of the big positives about on line shows is that we can reach out way beyond our East London base. We have no intention of stopping, we’re enjoying the on-line shows, once we do arrive at whatever the “new normal” will be, we plan to keep on with the on-line shows alongside the physical shows. For now we carry on on-line. Our first show of 2021 opened last week, an on-line group show called ReCultivate…  

     

Our first show of 2021 opened last week, an on-line group show called ReCultivate. A continuation in terms of last year’s shows, an exercise in hitting the ground of the new year running. The show once again is hosted on our sister site and home of Organ magazine, www.organthing.com, this link right here will take you directly to ReCultivate 

ReCultivate features the work of some 35 artists and around 170 pieces of work, please do go have a look, lots of lots of work went in to putting that show together, far more work that a physical show actually.

We’re working on new shows now, there’s a show called Self opening in February, a show of self portraits, we’re rather excited about that one. We’re working on a number of shows right now  

Meanwhile the previous on-line shows are all still on line via this link. including  the  Why show opened on-line late last year, view it here



 
And for those of you who are artists, there will be new open calls very soon, keep an eye on the gallery website. Lots coming up this year



Once again a big big thanks. More from us soon

Cultivate is about artists making things happen outselves, thanks for being involved,
Sean and Emma. Look after each other now, check on your people, make sure they’re holding up.
 

Sean Worrall / Emma Harvey / Cultivate

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