Razed-Art

About The Artist

Artist Statement 2010

Joe Clews

I was raised within the industrial surroundings of a redundant mining community. Inspired by these areas and by my deep love of machines I have sought ways to display my industrial roots. My sculpture is produced from books, bibles and also repairs manuals. I turn these books into geometric sculptures by folding each page repetitively. This act emulates the attributes that are within the machines that I admire; their precision, symmetry, geometry and the use of mathematics. These qualities combine well with my theme of personal independence and control. By folding each page I make the book unreadable, you cannot follow the rules therein and so are not able to apply them. You are then in control of your own life course and destiny.

Unfolding Stories

Contemporary culture displays many elements of control.  The media control what the public are told to a large extent. Politicians control what taxes are paid, what income we have to live on etc. In biblical times information was also controlled. Countries battles were fought and success was widely proclaimed in stone engravings and the like, losses however we obviously never mentioned. Biblical accounts detailing gods’ power over people is an aspect of control that I find interesting.

I have used biblical stories in my work. I show the viewer that they have a choice on how they live their life.  They do not need someone or something to tell them what to do. We are all individuals and each has control over the choices we make. We have a choice on what to disclose about ourselves what story we show. We all have our own story to tell, but it is only ourselves as individuals know who we really are. The book sculptures I produce are also a story that cannot be read. Like individuals, my book sculptures allow the viewer a glimpse of the full picture as only partial information is shown.

Leek Art Space

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Press Release, March 2010

Press Release

The Leek Post and Times Newspaper explained that Joe Clews’ work …”Controls the language of the book and makes it unreadable”– [Belinda Hargreaves, The Leek Post and Times, February 2010]

Control is a recurring theme within the work of artist Joe Clews. Realised in sculpture, photography and the combination of these Medias and often referencing biblical stories, Joe shows the viewer that no matter what tale they are told each of us have to make our own choices of what is reality and what is simply a story.‘Unfolding Stories’ is a series of black and white images of hands offering up her book sculptures. Paper hangs over the gallery wall, pooling onto the floor where the offered sculpture rests. Joe turns books into geometric sculptures by folding each page repetitively. Her work involves aspects of symmetry, geometry and mathematics. These qualities combine well with her theme of personal independence and control. By folding each page the book becomes unreadable; no one can follow the rules therein and so are not able to apply them. You are then in control of your own life course and destiny.

The Progression of Trust

Theme –

My work entitled ‘The Progression of Trust’ touches on disclosure and human behaviour as well as the qualities of trust, love and control. Control is a recurring theme within my work.

My focus has been to show the viewer that no matter what they are told it is only information they have retained. We have to make our own choices of what is reality and what is simply a story. The piece  is an expansion on the ‘Unfolding Stories’ series. Black and white images of hands offer up book sculptures to the viewer. The books are turned into geometric sculptures by folding each page repetitively. The work involves aspects of symmetry, geometry and mathematics, these qualities combine well with my theme of control. By folding each page the book becomes unreadable; no one can follow the rules therein and so are not able to apply them. You are then in control of your own life course and destiny, you are then left to unfold your story yourself.

As well as received information, we alternatively give information out ourselves. Some information we naturally and subconsciously give to one another. This information given beyond our control 

Unfolding the Gesture

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication  in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or combined with spoken words. Gestures include movement of thehands,face, or other parts of the body, and allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection.

 ‘Unfolding Stories’ explores the area of gesture and how we subconsciously communicate qualities. Issues of trust, love, belief and their counterparts are to be pondered over.

There are many stories to be unfolded [or understood] within the work. The story of the person within the image is just one. The folded book can refer to a limited amount of information or a control over information that we offer others. The viewer unfolds the story with these clues I leave for them - the gesture captured, the offering of a book that cannot be read and the offering left. The images show a revealing of the person who is holding the sculpture; it also informs us of the subject’s willingness to reveal themselves. In the example images Matthew and Elijah are open handed, willingly offering the folded book sculpture/ the information. In contrast Joanne obscures her sculpture and so masks the information more. The gesture of trust is easily seen in the first two images, a lack of trust it seems in the latter.

Bill viola

Four Hands by Bill Viola

Bill Viola uses gesture in his detail of Four Hands, from The Passions. Four sets of hands, a young boy’s, those of two middle-aged people and those of an elderly woman run through a array of gestures. Some gestures are familiar and others rhetorical, some are associated with prayer or supplication, while others resemble Hindu and Buddhist mudras [Mudras description on next page]. The use of a range of ages implies a continuous tradition, the teaching of the young by the old.

The Progression of Trust -Entrusting to Others + Trusted to you.

My work touches on the common moral values inherent in us all. I discuss human behaviour, the value of trust, love and their counterparts. My work also delves into the elements of personal independence and control. We are taught how to live our lives, how to be ‘civilized’, from the day we are born; this could be seen as controlling. In some areas of life we inherently know how to behave. We all respond certain ways depending on how we have been programmed by our guardians and our culture. All of this, we have to tell ourselves, is only information that we have been given. We have to make our own choices of what is right and wrong, what is reality and what is simply a story.  We have control of our own lives. 

As well as received information, we alternatively give information out ourselves. Some information we naturally and subconsciously give to one another. The folded book can represent information that we offer to others about ourselves. It is a personal gift that we present and entrust to another. How that person handles your information I explain through another informant, body language. Using the medium of photography I illustrate how the information / book sculpture is received.

An abiding interest in machines drives me to achieve certain attributes in my work, the machines precision, symmetry, geometry and use of mathematics. These combine well with the theme of control. Striving to demonstrate these qualities in my work I produce sculpture from paperback books [I have also used bibles and repair manuals]. I turn these books into geometric sculptures by folding each page repetitively. This act of folding emulates the previously mentioned attributes that are within the machines that I respect. By folding each page I make the book unreadable, continuing my ‘destructive/ creative’ interests, for how can any machine get fixed if you cannot read the repair manual? 

CV

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EDUCATION:

2010    BA [Hons], Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts, Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent, June.

2008 HND, Fine Art, Newcastle Under Lyme College, Stoke on Trent, June.

2006 AS level, Fine Art, Newcastle Under Lyme College, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, June.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

2008 The Picture House, Smallthorne, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

[Selected for Solo Exhibition]

EXHIBITIONS:

2010 The Wirksworth Festival, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. [Selected for Group Show]

2010 “The Look” CULTUREfix, Manhattan, New York. [Selected for Group Show]

2010 The Potteries Museum, Hanley, Staffordshire. [Selected for Group Show]

2009 Chase Town Mining Museum, Staffordshire. [Selected for Group Exhibition]     

2009 Art Waves, Nile Street Burslem,Staffordshire. [Exhibited and Curated]

2008 Brampton Museum, The Brampton, Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire.[Selected for Group Show] 

2008 HND Fine Art Exhibition, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire. [Exhibited and Curated]

2007 Keele Three Counties Open Photography Exhibition, Keele, Staffordshire.[Selected for Group Exhibition]

2006 Keele Three Counties Open Photography Exhibition, Keele, Staffordshire.    [Selected for Group Exhibition]

REVIEWS:

2010 Staffs Live, March, Interview with Nicola Cousen.

2010 The Evening Sentinel Newspaper, March.

2010 Moorlands Radio Station, March, Interview with Simon Edwards.

2010 The Leek Post and Times Newspaper, February, Interview with Belinda Hargreaves.

2008 The Evening Sentinel Newspaper, January.

2007 The Staffordshire County Magazine, June.

AWARDS:

2006 Keele Open Photography Exhibition, Student Prize Winner.

Work Experience:

2008-

2010 Sales Advisor, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

1997-      

2000 Supervisor, Soft Furnishings Company, Newcastle under Lyme.

1992-      

1997 Enamel Selector, Baddeley Green, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

1990-      

1992 Sales Advisor, Hanley,  Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

COMMISSIONS:

2010 Babel Series,  Multiple Sculptures. [Commissioned by Staffordshire University, Library]

2010 The Brain, Sculpture. [Private Sale]

2010 Utopia 1, Etching. [Private Commission]

2008 Madamoiselle #1, Painting. [Private Commission]

2008 Madamoiselle #2, Painting. [Private Commission]

2008 Hands, Painting. [Private Commission]

2008 Red Skies, Painting. [Private Commission]

2008 Blue Skies, Painting. [Private Commission]

2008 My Benjamin, Painting. [Private Commission]

2008 Orchidia, Painting. [Private Commission] 

2008 Collective Brain, Sculpture. [Private Sale]  

2000 Under the Sea, Mural. [Private Commission]

2000 At the Sea, Mural. [Private Commission]