simon withers

http://simonwithers.weebly.com

http://travellinghopefully.weebly.com

Artist Biography

Simon completed his fine art degree from Sheffield City Polytechnic in 1988. In 1995 Simon Joined the Oldknows Studio Group in Nottingham and became a lease holder for the group in 1996. Simon has co-ordinated various open studio events for Oldknows Studio Group and a 'tag sale' fund raising initiative for the group. Simon has also ran several art/music events between 1996 -2006 from the studios. Simon has been on various steering committees including Circa, set up to run the Nottingham Open Studios between 1999-2002, his roll included curating an exhibition at the Bonington Gallery, Nottingham. Simon is a member of the Nottingham Studios Consortium set up in 2004. The consortium has been set up to undertake research into developing a purpose built artists studios for Nottingham. The Consortium is currently working with the internationally renown Architect, David Adjaye. Simon has been involved in the setting up of the steering group for the 'Sideshow' initiative. This organisation will be hosting events in the spring of 2006 to coincide with British Art Show when it visits Nottingham. In 2003 Simon co-established mere jelly. For the first project mere jelly curated an exhibition specifically for a London Art Fair in 2004. In 2005 mere jelly establishes the mj project HQ which will operate from the Oldknows Studios. Simon also plays the drums in the Jazz outfit Milch.

In 2000 Simon successfully received a Year of the Artist award and took up residency in a beach hut on the Lincolnshire East Coast. A short DV project ensued with Film maker Steve Friendship and 'A postcard From Sutton on Sea' was the outcome. In 2001 Simon exhibited a solo exhibition of Multi-Fold paintings at Wrexham Arts Centre. Other exhibitions include, (dis)comfort, Angel Row Gallery 2005, Box Project, Museum of Installation, 2000 and the Mostyn international Open exhibition 1998.

In 2003/04 Threshold Studios commissioned the Friendship/withers partnership to produce 'Equilibrium' a short 3 minute experimental film. The accompanying soundtrack by artist and film maker was created by drawing a violin bow across an array of percussive cymbals. ' Equilibrium' received it's first screening at the Arizona Film Festival in 2004. The media Development Agency released a DVD of video shorts in 2004. This included, Postcard, Equilibrium and Equilibrium-Alchemy, a one minute short documentary.

ARTIST STATEMENT
Operational Practice - The Nudity of the Human Being.

The foundation in which I work is very broadly based. The artwork is a communication between the self and the possible, there are dialogues of contradiction. The work gives an indication and acknowledges visual imperatives: that the visual language of the work is not impaired by the language of art language and all its ambiguities. There is a communion between the visual and the dialogue which inevitably shadows the physical, it has an emotional content and the work will be discriminate and explorative. The work is an investigation of the totality of the delicate condition. 'The abject', a place where meaning collapses, it is that which can not be imagined or is at the edges of meaning, it is that which walks the knife edge, it is the borderline, sublime and uncanny.

The work is approached with the utmost seriousness and worked upon with the intensity of a child at play. But if any valediction was needed, the loss of childhood innocence is found in the work. Perhaps however there is an evolving innocence, a struggle to hold onto or to rediscover a purity, a truth, a higher plain. For such a quest is something which guides us, the romantic, the epicurean and the fool.

'So we have sometimes to entrench ourselves; but we do it with rage: and it is our desire to press constantly on to realisation of what is, after all, our destined life.' Wyndham Lewis. The Children of the New Epoch (1921)

My principle discipline is the fashioning of the Multi-Fold paintings. On occasions however I explore and develop ideas that are not always so conducive to my painting ritual. The work which is fashioned from the experiments and enquiries become supplementary vehicles to my practice.

Email stwithers@hotmail.com

Web Information
www.axisartists.org.uk
Saatchi Gallery - Simon's Artist's Page

Education

1997 - 1998 University of Derby Certificate in Arts Practice
1997 Basford Hall Collage C&G 2301 Computer Aided Draughting
1985 - 1988 Sheffield City Polytechnic BA (Hons) Fine Art
1982 - 1985 South Nottinghamshire College of F.E Foundation. B/Tec art & Design

Solo exhibitions

2008 Nottingham Castle & Museum
2001 Wrexham Arts Centre Paintings 1981 -1991
2000 Nottingham Castle & Art Gallery Multi-Fold paintings
2000 Sutton on Sea - Year of the Artist Beach hut residency exhibition

Selected group exhibitions

2007/08 Pricked: Extreme Embroidery November 2007. Museum of Art & Design, New York.
2007 Bloc Assembly Event December 2007. Bloc Studios, Sheffield
2007 Nottingham Contemporary Art Auction
2007 Out of Place. Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham. Curated by Mary Doyle. Group show
2007 Terra Incognita. Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham. Curated by Indra Khanna. Group show
2006 yes I said yes I will yes. 1851 Gallery. Nottingham Trent University. Group Show
2005 (dis)comfort. Angel Row Gallery. Nottingham
2004 mere jelly @ on the wall London Olympia
2004 A breath of Fresh Air Byard Art. Cambridge
2002 Linking Rhythms Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham
2002 East Midlands Business Centre Brussels
2002 The Affordable Art Fair Battersea Park, London
2002 Artfromthestudios Nottingham Castle & Art Gallery
2002 Circa ng Bonington Gallery, Nottingham
2001 Usher Gallery, Lincoln. YOTA Symposium Exhibition
2001 AV Modern Brittisk Konst. Foreningen, Norden, Gothenburg. Sweden
2001 Two Cities Celtic park, Glasgow
2001 Museum of the South West. Midland, Texas. USA
2000 Usher Gallery, Lincoln Beach hut residency work
2000 The Art Exchange 'Works' Three person show
2000 Moi & Angel Row Gallery Box project. Museum of Installation, London
1998 Mostyn 10. Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales
1998 Painters Painting Four Artists, Atrium Gallery, Derby
1996 Somewhereinbetween Four person installation show
Withers / Hackett / Tobolewski / Rose. Broad Street Gallery, Nottingham
1994 Box Art Nottingham Castle & Art Gallery
1994 The Art Show Alexandra Palace, London

Awards

2006 Arts Council East Midlands. Research & Development. Mentoring grant
2006 Arts Council East Midlands. Cabaret Pink, Oldknows Studio Group
2005 Arts Council England. mere jelly HQ Development
2004 Arts Council England. mere jelly @ on the wall '04
2004 Arts Council England. Research & Development grant*
2004 East Midlands Development Agency. mere jelly @ on the wall '04
2003 Arts Council England. mere jelly @ on the wall '04
2002 East Midlands Arts. Audience Development Grant. Circa ng
2001 Awards For All. Lottery grant for workshops. Oldknows Studio Group
2001 East Midlands Arts. New works & Commissions award*
2000 Year of the Artist Beach Hut Residency, Sutton On Sea*
1999 East Midlands Arts. New work & Commissions award*
1999 Awards for All. Lottery grant for Oldknows Studio Group
1998 East Midlands Arts. Project grant for open studios event Oldknows Studios
1996 East Midlands Arts. Development grant*
1995 Eaton Fund for Artists. Materials grant*

* Denotes Individual Artists award

Short listings/Prizes

2006 The March of Silence one of 17 artists interviewed for the Jerwood/Artangel Commissions
2006 Cut outs. Nottingham Open, Solo Exhibition (2007) Prizewinner. Nottingham Castle & Art Gallery
2002 Breedon Books Award. Prize for artworks, 99pt. Survey Sets
2001 BBC Birmingham short film. 'A Postcard From Sutton On Sea' Short listed . Film Shown during the Birmingham Film & TV Festival (17)
2001 Great East Midlands Landmark Competition. Business East Midlands
Designs of 'Rainbow Arch' short listed for sculpture project
1999 City Arts. Open Exhibition prize, Solo Show at The Art Exchange Gallery, Nottingham
1999 Natwest Art Prize. Five works make the second round of judging

Publications/Promotion

Pricked: Extreme Embroidery November 2007. Museum of Art & Design, New York. (2007)
Staple. No.66/67 Editor Wayne Burrows. (2007) Cyril Seaton article Pgs 78-86
ISSN:0266 4410
Parade. Angel Row Gallery (2007) ISBN 0-905634-85- 3
Room 17, Considering Venus. (2007) Artists 20 pg booklet produced for 'out of place' Copy held in the Rokeby Venus Dossier, National Gallery, London
Cabaret Pink. Artists programme. (2006)
Seaton. Rex Barker & Cabaret Pink. Nonesuch (2006)
yes I said yes I will yes. Bonington Gallery (2006)
Multiple CCAN medal, Edition of 125 for the London Tate Gallery Launch, March 06
Book Cover. War & Social theory. World, Value & Identity. Neil Curtis
Graphic Work No.283 (2002) ISBN 1-4039-3371-5 Palgrave Macmillan. 2005
(dis)comfort. Angel Row Gallery publication (2005)
Critical Mass. The media Development Agency. DVD Includes, Equilibrium, Alchemy &
A postcard from Sutton on Sea. (2004)
Mere jelly @ On the Wall. Published by mere jelly (2004)
Main catalogue essay by Robert Clark. Edition of 1500
On the Wall 2004. Art Fair Publication. Upper Street Events Ltd (2004)
Linking Rhythms. Angel Row Gallery publication (2002)
Simon Withers. Multi-Fold Paintings 1991 - 2001
Published (2001) Simon Withers/Wrexham Arts Centre. Edition of 500
Copy held in the National Art Library, V&A Museum, London
Beach Hut Residency Post Card Pack 2000
Year of the Artist. Exhibition. Edition of 1000
Breaking the Barriers. YOTA Publication. Published by Arts 2000 (2001)

Film commissions

2003 - 2004 The Media Development Agency. Threshold Studios. 'Echoes' Commission
Collaborative Three minute DV film, 'Equilibrium' with Steve Friendship. 'Equilibrium : Alchemy' One minute documentary. Soundtracks for both films by Withers/Friendship, Withers/Zoo. First screening '04 - Flagstaff Film Festival, Arizona USA.
2000 - 2001 INTA Performance Group. 'Video Miniatures' DV film collaborative project. with film maker Steve Friendship. Commissioned by Andy McKay, Producer. For Year of the Artist. 'Postcard from Sutton on Sea' screening history includes screenings at Broadway cinema, Nottm / Angel Row Gallery, Nottm / Phoenix, Leicester / Wandsworth Film Festival / Warwick Arts Centre / Mac, Birmingham / Usher Gallery, Lincoln / Roadmender, Wellingborough / Jackson Theatre, University of Lincs & Humberside

Career experience

1995 to date Oldknows Studio Group. Joint Lease holder for Oldknows Studio Group. Co-ordinating Oldknows @20 Anniversary event 2007.
Co-ordinated 'Cabaret' live event for Oldknows Studios 2005/06. Co-ordinated Open Studios events for Oldknows Studio Group 1998, 2000,01,02,03. Co-ordinated Oldknows Tag Sale 01 Nottingham Visualise events 2001/02. Curated / selected work for circa exhibition, held at the Bonington Gallery 2002. Co wrote application for lottery funding for Open Studios 1999. Lottery funding application, 2001 (For artists workshops) Chairman of Circa ng. Nottingham Artists collective 99/02. Co wrote lottery funding applications 1999/02. Presentation to the YOTA regional launch, Nottingham 2000. Undertaken Artists community workshops 98-01.

2003 - 2007 Nottingham Studios Consortium. Working committee for new studio building.
2007 City Arts - Mentor for the development of a new studio project
2006/07 Collaboration with Chris Lewis-Jones (performance/curating/research/publication) Oldknows Studio Group
2005 - 2006 Capital Networks. East Midlands Capital Projects Group
2004 - 2005 Sideshow - BAS Nottingham Fringe steering committee
2003 - 2004 mere jelly @ On the Wall '04. Co organiser for project to London Art fair
2004 Cropedy Capers 25 Years of the Cropedy Festival. Contributing articles, Pgs 5 & 31. ISBN 095426105-4
2003 - 2004 Nottingham Arts & Creative Forum Working Group
2001 - 2004 South Nottinghamshire College of FE Lecturing work
2000 - 2003 East Midlands Arts Adviser for the Visual Arts Department
2001 Connect Lectured on a post graduate arts practice course. Leicester
1999 - 2000 City of Nottingham, Design & Property Services Interior & exterior design work. Crocus Fields children's home and Sherwood Library, Nottingham.
1999 - 2000 Workers Educational Association Teaching painting & drawing
1999 - 2000 Angel Row Gallery Gallery Assistant
1999 Basford Hall College Technician work,
1993 - 1994 Metropolitan Studios Manchester Freelance paint & Trace. Animation work for ITV cartoon 'Mr Midnight.' Opening Title sequence for Granada TV sit-com, 'Mothers Ruin.'
1992 BTCV Volunteer work
1992 Sheffield City Polytechnic Lecturing work. 3rd year BA Fine Art
1991 - 1992 Wireless Pictures Ltd, Nottingham Paint & Trace. 'Springs Secret Garden' pilot cartoon. ITV cartoon, 'Coconuts.' Graham Garside, Animations Director. Freelance work for Egyptian TV. A commercial for a cockroach repellent

Music collaborations

Simon has performed in various music groups as drummer & percussionist. He has on occasions written and contributed to song writing. Simon has performed with the band Greenhouse in the 1980's with friend David Longdon who moved onto greater ventures, recording with Genesis. David continues to work with the likes of Dave Gregory (XTC) and Louis Philippe and with his own group, The Magic Club. In the 1990's Simon gigged with the bands, White feather and several improvisational groups, Thick Soil & The Wrong Room. In 2002/03 Simon recorded/played live with the band Zoo. In 2006 Simon performed in the band Milch for the two Cabaret events organised by Oldknows Studio Group. In 2007 Simon is currently rehearsing with a new three-piece outfit and a DADA Folk duo called 'Seaton's Cycle Roots with accordion player Chris Lewis Jones.

Collections

Union Square Software (Nottingham) Collection of four Works (2007)
Work in U.K Private collections. Some work commissioned
Pharmaceutical Profiles Art Collection (2001)