A NEW PROJECT

Femininity and the 'in-between', a performative space between being and non-being... initially explored by the idea of a 'Changing room'. I'm thinking about constructing female identity, irrational judgement and the uncomfortable experience of trying to 'fit in'.

'Changing Room'
©Helen McGhie, 2012

'How to walk in high heels: A definitive guide'

©Helen McGhie, 2012

EXHIBITION: 'DESSERTS' & 'EGO ENTERTAINMENT' WILL BE ON SHOW AT 'ART OF OURS', QUEENS BUILDING (CHORLEY)

Art of Ours website: www.artofours.co.uk/helen-mcghie

My photographs will be on show during week one of the Art of Ours project in Chorley from 18th - 22nd September 2012. 

'American Pancakes', from Desserts (2012)

Location:

13 – 15 Fazakerley Street (accessed via Cannon st)

Chorley

Lancashire

PR7 1BG

"The project will provide opportunities for established and non-established artists to exhibit works in a highly publicised weekly exhibition program. Each week will display a new collection of innovative works from a wide spectrum of the arts. The exhibition will be free entry for the public and shall provide an opportunity for all ages to engage with local creative works and the people who create them." - Art of Ours

STUDIO TIME - 22/07/12

Test shot #1 for my new series

With my ever growing interest in appropriating media imagery, I feel that it is now time to delve into the world of fashion photography. I've got some new props together, arranged a couple of fabulous models and have actively started to work on the series of murder/suicide themed faux fashion photographs.

Whilst my first 120 films are now in safe hands at the processing lab, above is one of the quick test shots I took during the initial shoot...

FINAL DAY OF MY 'IDENTITY CRISIS' EXHIBITION THIS SATURDAY!

Saturday will be the final day of my solo exhibition 'Identity Crisis', currently on show at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston. 

HAVE A LOOK AT BEN MILLER'S REVIEW ON 'CULTURE 24' HERE 

‘IDENTITY CRISIS’. PHOTOGRAPHS BY HELEN MCGHIE

18th April – 7th July 2012

'Cake', from Desserts

Identity Crisis is a new photography exhibition by Helen McGhie, who explores ideas surrounding identity and sense of place. Much of her work appropriates existing visual documents in order to provoke the viewer’s understanding of codes within familiar imagery.

The exhibition is made up of three projects which individually investigate the theme of identity: ‘Ego Entertainment’ (2012), a project combining psychoanalytic ego construction and children’s games, ‘Desserts’ (2011-12), exploring ideal female appearance through studio lit desserts, and ‘Ashley House’ (2008), an autobiographical investigation into the artist’s personal familial relationships.

The exhibition is part of the gallery’s Stairway exhibition programme.

Harris Museum and Art Gallery

Market Square

Preston

Lancs

PR1 2PP

Click for further information

I WILL BE A GUEST SPEAKER AT 'THE MUSEUM SOCIAL' - 13TH JUNE

I have been invited to be a guest speaker at the 'The Museum Social' event at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston. The networking event is designed for young people who are interested in working within creative industries.

If you are interested in attending the event, please email the Harris at harris.museum@preston.gov.uk

 

ANALYSIS #1: Cindy Sherman, 'Disasters'

What I'm researching today...

Cindy Sherman, one of my favourite artists created this intriguingly dark photographic series in the '80s. Themes of fear, disgust and anxiety can be recognised in the images. Disasters is perhaps one of the more abstract projects that Sherman has worked on, but I feel that this exploration of female identity as a broken and ugly entity is really interesting!

Untitled #153 1989

Untitled #190, 1989

Untitled #156, 1985

Untitled #175, 1987 

INSTALLATION PHOTOGRAPHS OF 'IDENTITY CRISIS' PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

...'IDENTITY CRISIS' will be on show at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston until 7th July 2012. Enjoy! Check it out on Business Boom Bolton's blog HERE and The Two Hat's Preston culture blog HERE.

right staircase #1

right staircase #2

left staircase #1

right staircase #3

left staircase #2

left staircase #3

'DISCOVER JESUS THIS SUMMER' PHOTOGRAPHS AT NEXUS ART CAFE, MANCHESTER

A series of photographs from my photography project 'Discover Jesus this Summer' are currently on show in the Nook room at Nexus Art Cafe, Manchester. The project is an ongoing exploration into the colourful ways that English churches attract new congregation through their fascinatingly original A2 sized advertisements. Most of the images were taken in and around Northwest England.

Below are a few installation shots. The exhibition is part of the Nexus Frames exhibition programme. 

Six photographs from the project 'Discover Jesus this Summer'

Close up view

'FOR THE ULTIMATE GOAL', 2011

I think that this is a great poster, one of my favourites! 

'Discover Jesus this summer', 2011

www.nexusartcafe.com

CLICK TO FIND NEXUS ART CAFE

'IDENTITY CRISIS' PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION HAS OPENED AT THE HARRIS MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, PRESTON

The show will run until Saturday 7th July 2012, so there is plenty of time to go and have a look...

My photographs are being exhibited as part of the Harris museum's Stairway exhibition programme, meaning that the photographs are installed on the walls alongside the grand first floor staircases. With 32 frames making up the exhibition, this could have been quite a challenge to install, but (lucky for me!) the fantastic expertise of gallery's exhibition team meant that the photographs were a pleasure to install and look great in the environment.

Past exhibition in the Stairway space...

Visitor information for the Harris Museum and Art Gallery:

www.harrismuseum.org.uk/visitor-information.html I'll post some installation shots here very soon...

32 FRAMES DROPPED OFF AND READY TO BE INSTALLED AT THE HARRIS MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY!

"To Literature, Arts and Science", Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston.

...PHEW! I find that travelling with a car load of fragile frames can be an exhausting experience.

I can't wait to see the work up in the space at install tomorrow - have a read of my previous post below to learn about the 3 photographic projects ('Ashley House', 'Desserts' & 'Ego Entertainment') that'll make up the Identity Crisis exhibition.

Identity Crisis will be on show from the 18th April - 7th July 2012 at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston. Please support the show and let me know your thoughts!

NEW EXHIBITION 'ON BREAD ALONE' WILL OPEN NEXT WEDNESDAY 18TH APRIL AT NEXUS ART CAFE, MANCHESTER. 5PM - 7PM.
''A look at art as indulgence. A look at art as necessity" - Nexus Art Cafe

'On Bread Alone' has been curated by the art team at Nexus, the 12 artists exhibiting creatively responded to an open call inviting artists to explore the relationship between 'need' and creativity. For more info, have a look at the Nexus website!

Please come along next wednesday to indulge yourself!

MY NEXT SOLO EXHIBITION IS CALLED 'IDENTITY CRISIS' AND WILL BE AT THE HARRIS MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, PRESTON!
Check out page 6 for more information!  http://issuu.com/harrismuseum/docs/feb-may12

The exhibition will be shown as part of the Harris' Stairway exhibitions program and will run from the 18th April 2012 - 7th July 2012. Identity Crisis will be made up of three of my photographic projects 'Desserts' (2011-12), 'Ego Entertainment' (2012) and 'Ashley House' (2008).

'Tart', Desserts (2011)

Desserts is a series that explores both women’s relationship with food and societies expectations for her ideal appearance. Whilst the lustrous photographic surface and subtly lit food in each image deliberately seek to allure the audience (mirroring media portrayals of femininity), the ‘beauty signifiers’ (hair, false nails etc.) recognised amongst the usually appealing puddings horrifically contaminate the desserts in quickly eliminating any appeal. 

The unpleasant images seek to illustrate the uncomfortable interior reality of a more honest female identity than media imagery typically represents, whilst exposing the manufactured signifiers of her exterior construction. 

For more images from the series, have a look at my website.

'Intimacy vs. Isolation (Spin the Bottle)', Ego Entertainment (2012)

“A game [..] enriches the process of definition of one’s own identity, enabling the individual to reinterpret his/her own experience in the new narrative configurations of that game.” – Rosa Gallelli

Ego Entertainment is a photographic project that uses children’s games to investigate the subject of identity construction in western culture. The psychoanalyst Erik Erikson theorised his understanding of this as the 8 stages of psychosocial development, which Ego Entertainment uses as a starting point. He believed that within each stage, an individual must accept the two conflicting extremes before gaining a ‘virtue’ (favourable outcome) and constituting a stable identity.

Through games of luck, pretend and narrative, images from the series work as a vehicle to illustrate the various stages of an individual’s determination in their search for ego identity. As I currently reside within the ‘Intimacy vs. Isolation’ category, I have made an artistic decision to not yet produce stages 7 and 8.

For more images from the series, have a look at my website.

'Wallpaper' & 'Swimming Pool', Ashley House (2008)

 “Family photography may both conceal and reveal, but its investigation can never end with the closed circle it appears to represent” - Patricia Holland

Ashley House is my Grandparents’ family home. The large house resides in Dorset and its land fills approximately 2.5 acres. Evidence of my Grandparents’ daily routine, my father’s childhood and my experience as a visitor is present in the photographs; therefore the series results as an autobiographical representation of three generations. 

For more images from the series, have a look at my website.

Hello...

My name is Helen, I'm trying to make something of myself in the visual art world and would love for you to join me in the adventure! My website is www.helenmcghie.com - please check it out and let me know your thoughts...

Also, have a look at one of my videos below: