March 10 2009

AXIS Online Art Resource

Lucy Brown,Wear Me With Tender Loving Care, 2000
acrylic fake fur coat, stainless steel wire, polyester
47cm x 275cm x 25cm, Photo credit: James Newell
Axis is considered to the leading online resource for contemporary art in the UK. It currently has 2,500 profiles of artists and curators in its database (Directory). These are accessed via a number of search facilities and are available to anyone using the internet. Axis recently extended its membership to include artists and curators outside the UK. And also international artists who work (or have worked) in the UK. As an Axis member (UK) I have a Profile page, artworks page, Biography and Contact pages online in addition to other benefits. This is now available to all UK and non UK members. Originally a free resource there is now a relatively small annual fee in return for page updates, artwork uploads, e-bulletins and so on. As an artist I use Axis to research practices, artists, new work. Searches can be undertaken by Artworks for example Installation, Textiles, Mixed Media or Theme – Conceptual, Abstract, Political etc. and I feel it is an excellent resource.

Photo credit: James Newell


One artist I came across recently within the context of re-cycling and textiles is British artist Lucy Brown. Her working processes are interesting in that collecting, finding and even wearing old clothes are as important a process as the final piece(s). Her techniques include cutting and weaving processes. The final pieces appear to me as curious, fascinating, shrunken and compacted forms. They have an air of sadness, desolation. Items such as lapels, fastenings, seams are retained as indicators of their former ‘lives’. Lucy Brown belongs to the respected 62 group in the UK. For anyone who does not fit within Axis criteria there is a free Standard membership that includes e-bulletins, Axis Facebook, contact messages to artists (maximum of 50).

submitted by Lesley Bricknell

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