Southwark painter Rod Kitson is launching an exhibition exploring the connections between artist and community that showcases artwork created in collaboration with local people at his drop-in art studio and gallery, writes Michael Holland…
The free exhibition, called ‘Communities’, opens on April 21 and is a retrospective of all the projects which have taken place at his studio-gallery in a repurposed shop at the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre since 2019.
They include the 2020 workshop, Boxed In, where the artist and the public created a living room out of cardboard, complete with fireplace, grandfather clock, gramophone and houseplant – all made from boxes discarded by retailers in the surrounding shops.
And a large ‘rug’, painted by local people in 24 individual one-sq ft pieces, is also on display. “I loved that rug project,” Rod said. “It was a great metaphor for the community and creativity in general. Everyone’s response was unique, but they all slotted together in unity, with the differences making the piece all the more interesting.”
The idea of the rug came from Kitson’s first show at the gallery, Machines for Living In, in which he replicated his apartment in 30 cm square pieces over the course of 190 days, one made every day.
When lockdown hit, the artist was one of the first to showcase in real life the creative energy of people at home during the pandemic. His Art of Isolation exhibition’s open call had a phenomenal response, with more than 200 entries coming in.
“It was a true ‘anything-goes’ exhibition and brought people together after a very difficult period,” he remembers. “Some of the more unusual entries included a pair of jeans that had been artfully darned, a sourdough loaf which was hollowed out and hung on the wall and a broken sledgehammer used in a renovation project!”
Also on show are portraits from the artist’s sprawling Where Are We Now project, which so far includes 350 faces, mainly of local people who have an open invitation from Rod to sit for two hours to have their portraits painted. “As my presence here becomes stronger I have increasingly been painting people who live in the area. They are now literally in my shop window!
“I want this whole collection of work to show the journey that we have been on, the connections we have made, the friendships formed and the warmth and acceptance I feel from the people here.
“It’s been a joy to involve so many people – and hopefully inspire a few of them on their own creative journeys. I hope I am contributing something useful by being here.”
Solo work from Kitson’s colourful 2021 Blue Lotus collection is also on show, alongside the paintings by students from nearby Bacon’s college. I asked him how that came about: “I did a workshop at the school where I showed the students how I created the pictures by painting over life drawings and using lots of references from mythology and fantasy. Then they made their own in the same manner… I made those pictures during lockdown, which was an incredibly fertile period for me. With hindsight it looks like I was retreating into the realms of my imagination to escape the reality at that time.”
Perhaps some of the artwork from his weekly life drawing class will find their way into ‘Communities’, but he admitted that he wasn’t sure if there would be the space. But if there is I know it will be there because I can’t think of any other artist that shares his studio, his time and his exhibitions with local people as much as Rod Kitson.
‘Communities’ runs from April 21 to May 3 at The Art of Isolation, 47, Upper Floor, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Redriff Road, London, SE16 7LL
Times: Tues, Wed, Fri 11-6pm, Thurs 12-7pm, Sats 11-3pm, Sun 2.30-5pm. Closed Mondays.
Private View: Friday April 21, 5-7pm
Rod Kitson can be contacted on rodkitson36@gmail.com
