The best travelled shed in the Midlands is back in one piece for another exhibition – though it was nearly claimed by Father Christmas!
The shed, officially known as the Coventry Centre for Contemporary Art, was originally used in a Bob and Roberta Smith installation at the Mead Gallery at the University of Warwick in 2009, and was then left for local artists to use. Coventry-based Martin Green and Lorsen Camps used it to exhibit with Joanna Rucklidge in Earlsdon, and the three reunited for an exhibition in the shed, rebuilt at The Herbert in Coventry, this summer.
It has now passed on to the Peapod Collective, based at the Pod in Lamb Street in Coventry, and has landed, in Tardis-type style, at Fargo in Far Gosford Street. However Fargo traders thought it could have a festive use as Santa’s grotto, but it was soon retrieved for its proper purpose.
Exhibiting in it are Eve Hyde-Davis, who graduated from Coventry University this summer, and sound artist HKid.
Eve is also one of three artists using studio space at the Pod which is made available to recent graduates of Coventry University’s Fine Arts degree course. Her work on show at Fargo was also in her degree show in the summer, but there it was hung up high, with other pieces around it, and at Fargo it fills the small shed space, and you just have space to walk around it. The work consists of several large sheets of paper, painted black and with different angular shapes cut out of them.
At a low-key opening Eve said they were typical of her work, “sterile, geometric and lacking in emotion”, which might partly fit in with her interest in brutalist architecture.
“This one was in the bigger show but it was in a much bigger space. It’s really interesting here, it’s got a different feel,” she added.
Eve will be working in studios at the Pod this year, alongside Lauren Heywood and also Jennifer Shufflebotham, who has been selected for the New Art West Midlands 2015 exhibition.
*Eve and HKid’s exhibition at Fargo continues until the end of January, and will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 5-6.30pm, and weekends 2-4pm.