All things 2024

23 Dec

Written By Rossanne Pellegrino

It’s been a busy year with new projects growing, new skills explored and work being part of new shows.

So it here was: 2024…

Exhibitions of 2024 (UK): This year my work was selected to be part of the ING Discerning Eye 2024 (The Mall Galleries, London), The Sussex 2024, (The Marine Workshops, Newhaven) and the We Are Family exhibition, (Electro Studios Project Space, St Leonards-on-Sea).

'FUN!' in 'The Sussex 2024' and feat. on the catalogue cover.

'Cool Rider' selected for the 'ING Discerning Eye'.

'Rose-tinted', one of my six pieces in 'We Are Family'.

New creative techniques: I’ve spent a year experimenting with new techniques to incorporate in my artwork. Such as screen printing on textiles to create wearable art, making soft sculptures from screen printed family photographs and also from crochet - such as my tomato red termite hill - and creating a series of ceramic hand-built and hand-decorated plates that explore family stories and histories (more on those coming soon).
Art for a good cause: I have been selling limited edition prints - Keeping The Sun Up, FUN! and FINE - and donating 50% off the ££ to Accumulate, The Art School For The Homeless in their Art Sale. The sale runs until 20 Jan 2025 and there are lots of beautiful pieces by talented artists for sale. All money raised will help Accumulate continue to deliver their creative workshops and learning experiences for people with lived experience of homelessness.
Some nice features: I’ve had my artwork featured on The Jealous Curator’s blog. The Jealous Curator, aka Danielle Krysa, is a curator, podcaster and best-selling author of several books on art and creativity.
Work selected for publications: It was a huge honour to be selected by curator and art historian, Carrie Scott to be part of Arts to Hearts Issue 7 Magazine.
Work selected for art prizes: It was so exciting to make the longlist for the Collage & Fibre Art section for the Women United Art Prize. There were several rounds of judging involved and I was in good company with some amazing international artists.
New work coming soon: I’m continuing a personal and very important project that I hope to exhibit soon - a body of work that began with three words: TAKE UP SPACE. After making a textile wall hanging titled, ‘Fit in at all costs’, for my Extremely Supernormal show it was clear to me that this was where I needed to begin my next series of work. The notion of taking up space - the opposite of fitting in - soon followed.
This project explores my family’s migration stories through works that play with larger scales, explore techniques new to my art practice, and also give space to conversations about migration and about shining a spotlight on creative techniques traditionally considered ‘women’s work’.