A display of art by female Slovak and Czech Roma artists has gone on display at Turner Contemporary.
Nice To Meet You/ Som Rado Hoij Tumen Spindzardom is a project by artists Jarmila, Anna, Martina, Beata and Ivana who worked with visual artist, Joy Martindale and were supported by Counterpoints art and the Arts Council.
Jarmila is also the artist behind the flyer artwork for the exhibition.
Created through a program of regular workshops as part of a wider healthy lifestyle project, the exhibition is a series of paintings on canvas and paper. The works are of the artists’ personal interests and aim is to show art can bring communities together.
Despite difficulties meeting through the pandemic, the artists still managed to create the collection, with support from Iveta Janova, the Roma inclusion manager with the Samphire Project in Dover.
Nice To Meet You is one of the schemes aimed at improving community relations and looking at marginalisation and inequality.
Artist Jarmila said: ““I am studying at the moment Business Management. I love painting because it keeps my mind away from negative thoughts.
“My mind and my soul feel relaxed .Thanks to painting I am spending time with my daughter as she loves painting too and the time we spend together.is just beautiful.”
Fellow artist Ivana added: “I enjoy painting when I am in pain. I only concentrate on the colours and it makes me feel very relaxed . You don’t have to be a professional artist to be able to enjoy painting.”
Roma communities in many countries, including the UK and even Slovakia where Roma are the second largest minority group, continue to face unequal access to employment, education, health and social services compared to non-Roma Slovakian people.
The Exhibition is free to visit and will be on show at the Turner Contemporary, Wednesday – Sunday 10am-5pm until Sunday, April 24.
Really… Is she 5…
I was thinking the same. I’m sure that she and the other painters are lovely people, but their work is clearly being displayed because of who they are rather than due to the artistic merits of their work. Under more normal circumstances they probably wouldn’t be deemed worthy of an art exhibition at Birchington Library, never mind the TC.
Says the man who makes a living talking about other peoples art… ok then. I believe art is subjective, there is no definition of what art is. The point of this exhibition has obviously been lost on you. People paint to feel and to express themselves, if someone creates something from their free expression it is art whether you choose to accept it as such or not. Keep your nasty horrible comments to yourself. YOU do not get to decide what art is and thankfully, your opinion counds for absolutely nothing.
My opinion is as valid as anyones, particularly as I help fund the thing.
If this was displayed in (say) a local library, then I probably wouldn’t even pass comment, but the fact that they’re in one of the most prominent galleries in the country puts them well and truly in the spotlight. I actually feel sorry for the painters (I won’t use the word “artists”) being put in this position by the TC. It would be like putting a non-actor in a Hollywood blockbuster.
You just sound really bitter haha How dare we try to encourage others to do things that make them happy! People like that should just be told how terrible they are and broken down so they never try to put themselves out there agian… isn’t that right Peter?
Who told you you get to decide what makes an artist?
You are obviously deciding they’re artists… what makes your opinion more valid than others?
Should no-one ever be critical again of art, movies, music and (yes) books, just in case we hurt someone’s feelings? Maybe we should also start giving medals to all the people who don’t win at sport too, after all, aren’t they/we all just doing something that makes them/us happy?
An artist is someone who creates art, whether or not you like the art means nothing at all.
Critique of art, and making down right nasty comments about something someone has created are very different. You were not critiquing, you were being nasty for the sake of being nasty.
It is crystal clear that you are just jealous and I feel sorry for you.
Bless your heart.
I would like to see yours big lad, I can’t paint to save my life and I’m guessing from your comment neither can you. Does it make you feel like a big man putting down other peoples work? Or are you just jealous no one wants to display your art 🙁 Boo Hoo
Anyone who puts themselves out there should expect and learn to accept criticism, whether that be positive or negative.
I write books. Some people like them and some don’t. But a bad review is just as valid to me as a good review (I put ALL my reviews in scrap books, and I have learnt more from negative comments than positive ones).
Criticising me for not being a painter is like me criticising a painter for not writing books, or a car mechanic for being incapable of knitting jumpers. They’re all very different disciplines.
Lefties are always right !!!!
You’re both just a pair of grumpy, unhappy old men who want to make people feel bad for doing something nice and being happy. Says it all really doesn’t it.
What a shame you had to resort to ageism and sexism instead of trying to have a civilised debate…
ooo someone’s triggered! Hardly, just truth
Triggered? Wasn’t that a charactor in Only Fools and Horses?*
* (A very funny sit-com from the ’80s, probably before your time.)
Can anybody tell me the distinguishing characteristics of Roma Art ?
How do I know that I am looking at Roma art as opposed to any other genre of art from any other community ?
The artists were members of the Roma community. It is not the art style.
Ahhh… so I was right about the exhibition being about the people behind the paintings rather than the painting style itself. Thank you for the confirmation from someone who clearly knows what you’re talking about. Appreciated!
I just composed a piece on the piano..I can’t play the piano or compose and it sounds awful… Who wants to put on a recital for me? Turner ? Dreamland ?
If someone says he/she can’t compose, then, presumably, whatever they play is a random selection of notes, unless they can read music or play by ear.
I’m sure he can play all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.
Good use of colour. Childlike? Yep, in a good way. I’ll go and take a look.
However, much as I enjoy the work of ‘non-professional’ artists, I’m trying to work out what it is about the Turner Contemporary that bugs me. I think it’s that it over-relies on exhibitions of amateur art and various happenings. It has no permanent collection and, unlike many large galleries, has few exhibitions of the valuable work that is otherwise locked away in private collections or owned by other galleries.
Not saying that financial value is the only measure of good art, just that once a painting or whatever is considered valuable, Joe Public is less likely to see it. And that’s where galleries come in … just not our gallery. Who am I kidding, it’s not ‘ours’.
Turner contemporary has become a political mouthpiece that uses art to push its various messages, rather than an art gallery per se. It’s certainly not what i was expecting it to be and many others have similar feelings towards it. But it won’t be changing or closing so i guess we’re stuck with it as it is.
well at least the turner centre is the best place for it , you can get away with anything over there – just think of traceys ” masterpieces “