Every release project curator Zavier Ellis recommends three pieces from the PROJECT PAPYROPHILIA inventory:
Zavier, any thoughts on the new drop?
All of the artists continue to make great work and it’s interesting to see their evolution over time.
Who did you go for and why these artists?
I’m pleased to see Adam Dix back in the programme and I’m always interested to see what comes next from Melissa Kime and Michael Scoggins. These two continue to evolve at a rapid rate – they’re always moving!
OK, tell me a bit about each selection starting with Adam Dix:
Adam’s work is beguiling. He has interests that in combination are unique to him. The touch points that interest me are suggestions of ritual or ceremony; otherworldliness; and a sense of foreboding. The ritualistic verges on the cultish and the ceremonial verges on the totalitarian. This piece, however, is subtle and ambiguously multi-layered. There is a spectacle, but its serene. In this piece Adam asks more questions than he answers.
And your second choice – Melissa Kime:
Melissa is a new artist to me, having first seen her at London Art Fair pre-lockdown. I was hypnotised and excited by a big painting and had to keep going to revisit it. I don’t have that response often but it is why I do what I do: discovery. I see the same affliction in collectors at art fairs. Melissa makes great work on paper – totally unique and free which spins around so many interests of mine. This piece is really fresh and I noted the title after selecting it – ‘Harlequins’ – which have also informed my own work on and off for over 15 years.
And finally – Hugh Mendes:
I have a special interest in text-based work and collage and even though text is not seen as a primary element in Hugh’s work, it is fundamental and talks of his central thesis: the celebration of lives via paint via newspaper obituaries. More recently Hugh has focused on the celebration of lives of artists and so it’s difficult to resist. This piece combines collage with drawing and is extremely well poised. Everything about it works.