Coventry based artists Sherrie Edgar and Tarla Patel will be opening a joint exhibition at The Albany Theatre on 12th March to mark International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.
All are welcome to join them on the opening night from 5:30pm on 12th March where there will be exclusive film screenings and an installation. The exhibition will then run until 14th April.
We ran a live Q&A with Sherrie and Tarla for our February #ArtChatCov to find out a little bit more about what to expect from their forthcoming show, and what has influenced their work. Take a read below.
CC: Tell us about your forthcoming exhibition – what is it called and what themes will it explore?
TP: Title: Intergenerational women. It is a personal journey exploring the stories of three generations of women in one space, themes of belonging, identity, culture through the Masterji archives.
ArtChatCov using a sari to create a physical connection
SE: My part, HER Lonely explores women who suffer or have suffered from loneliness and isolation.
CC: What artistic medium do you work in?
TP: Currently my main medium is playing with analogue and digital photography and film. I develop my own black/whites and love using Polaroid Originals instant film. For this work I have experimented with textiles and printing on different objects. But I also use 16mm film with a bolex camera, mobile footage and film cameras, I plan to go into AR and electronics.
SE: HER Lonely is a series of photographs and a film with audio recordings.
CC: Does the exhibition tie in with International Womens Day?
TP: The work ties in with International Womens Day because it is giving a voice to women’s stories through women artists. A story that explores migration, fear and belonging and hope is something that we can all relate too.
SE: Intergenerational Women and HER Lonely are timely exhibitions IWD2020!
CC: How will the exhibition explore inequity within the arts?
SE: HER Lonely focuses on underrepresented women, their inner strength reveals delicate and remarkable artworks.
TP: I think equity in the arts will only change with better representation of women from working class backgrounds: decision making/funding/strategy. Sherrie and I are making ourselves visible with the limited resources.
The exhibition is to give a voice to women, for me a voice of what is to be a woman that has come to live in a country without support of a family to what it is to being British Indian.
SE: Female artists are integral to the arts. Women artists face challenges due to gender bias, we feel systematically excluded.
TP: We would love people to be there for opening night : the Sari, installation, and my films will only be available for that evening – and refreshments will be available!
