“Facts are like cows. If you look them in the face long enough, they generally run away.”
-Dorothy L Sayers
We live in a world of the familiar, for the most part. Our daily experiences tend to play out along well-worn paths and we look through the lenses of our own experience. It is very easy to begin taking for granted our position in the larger universe. We can become so wrapped up in our own stories and dramas that we fail to realize we are infinitesimally tiny specks of dust on a smallish, whirling planet among a vast cosmos. Once in a while something shakes us, forces us to look again at exactly where we stand.
Kate Enters lives and works in London. In her studio at the moment she is finishing a few pieces for an exhibition. At present, Enters is interested in capturing moments in time in her paintings through the lens of a mobile phone. The way she does this is to paint a picture of an iPhone with a photograph displayed on the screen. In this way, Enters gestures to an everyday object that can capture so much more than the every day. The series is titled Captured: A Moment in Time.
Enters explores where we are as humans in the world, creating a social commentary on how we see the world through small screens. By working with images captured by iPhones, she invites the viewer to consider why certain images are deemed worthy of capturing, and by painting these images, she adds another layer on to this question.
One of the paintings in the series is of a London bus under the night sky. For Enters, the image reaches toward the generic in that it is a familiar scene. The night sky speaks to the very real human condition of feeling more alone at night, perhaps a time when one might be spending time with their phone.
Another image shows the view of a cityscape through the door of a London Tube train. She suggests through her painting that we can look out and realize that we are part of something bigger. A third painting titled Road Trip is the view from a car window. Again, this was intended to be something very familiar to viewers.
To hear more about this series and Enters’ many, many other endeavors, including the founding of Artcan, an innovative organization that helps raise artist profiles, facilitate exhibitions and bring together a community of like-minded peers, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
When you are jarred from your complacency, be grateful for the opportunity to remember the reality of things.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Kate Enters spoke about the book Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers.
Opportunities / Open Calls
Art in Embassies (AIE), run by the US Department of State, has connected artists with the larger world for 50 years. In their own words: “For five decades, Art in Embassies (AIE) has played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy through a focused mission of vital cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through the visual arts and dynamic artist exchange. Today, AIE is a public-private partnership engaging over 20,000 participants globally, including artists, museums, galleries, universities, and private collectors, and encompasses over 200 venues in 189 countries. Professional curators and registrars create and ship about 60 exhibitions per year, and since 2000, over 58 permanent collections have been installed in the Department’s diplomatic facilities throughout the world.” Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. For full information and to apply, visit the website.
Deadlines
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.