Slow Praxis
Slow Praxis champions the work of artists whose practices and processes follow a more unconventional path; who create works which encourage us to slow and take notice of the world around us. For many of these artists, the process of creation is perhaps equally as important as the final result. These artists go a step beyond, uncovering extra levels of depth, researching and then acting; and this attention to detail provides us, the audience, with the feeling that we can more easily enter into these works.
Tatha Gallery’s aim for this show was to explore the climate crisis. But, we wanted to approach the subject from an alternative angle. It’s impossible not to be aware of the plethora of issues we currently face as our planet’s average temperature gradually rises. Just look at the summer of wildfires we’ve witnessed around the world. Artists are in a unique position, able to highlight these issues but without leading us into despair. Instead, these artworks quietly suggest the need for a slower pace. If we are to move away from irreversible climate change, we must take our foot off the accelerator, notice and attend to the small changes in the natural world around us, exercise restraint as often as possible.
Stuart Cairns
David Cass
Roland Fraser
Jean Gillespie
Rita Kermack
Vivian Ross-Smith
Samuel Sparrow
Tim Steward
Iain Stewart
Above: Cass, Cairns, Sparrow, Gillespie, Fraser, Steward, Cermack, Stewart | All artworks © the artists, images by Cass
“Dear friends, would you look, only look, at what is here, and would you agree to astonishment, and to love? For love, allied to attention, will be urgently needed in the years to come”