LOCKDOWN JOURNAL: COVID-19.3 (Phill Hopkins)
‘I Clap For An Art’ by Phill Hopkins is Hopkins riffing on a recent work entitled ‘I Pray For An Art’. A Manifesto presented as part of ‘A House Within A Home’, but here in the context of the synchronised applause for the NHS during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Phill Hopkins was born in Bristol in 1961 and has been an artist based in Leeds since graduating from Goldsmiths College, London in 1985. His practise is very cross-disciplinary and includes the use of drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and installation.
He exhibits both nationally and internationally, with recent shows at BasementArtsProject, Leeds; Pangolin Gallery, London; 3rd on 3rd Gallery, New York USA; Galerie Youn, Canada and Cross Gallery, Australia. His work resides in various public and private collections including The Imperial War Museum, London, Nanjing Baijia Lake International Culture Investment Group, China, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Leeds Art Gallery, Doncaster Museums & Art Gallery, Stadt Dortmund, Germany, The Hungarian Museum of Photography, Kecskemet, Hungary.
image: Phill Hopkins with Dr Charlotte Naylor-Davis, at the start of the project in Hopkins' studio.
Phill Hopkins has been awarded a bursary from Leeds Church Institute. During the next six months he will work in collaboration with community theologian Dr Charlotte Naylor-Davis to create visual art and theology resources for the City of Leeds, UK.
Dr Helen Reid, Director of Leeds Church Institute, “The vision for this bursary is a shared artistic and reflective engagement with faith, spirituality and city life in Leeds. I am really excited about this collaboration which I am confident will support people of Leeds in delighting in the art as well as thinking about justice and spirituality. The first step for Charlotte and Phill is to agree a specific focus around perhaps theology and urban life, diversity and inclusion or climate change.
They will then work together, being supportive of each other’s endeavours, and drawing on a dialogue between different perspectives".
The Centre for Religion and Public Life at the University of Leeds will offer the pairing an opportunity to engage in critical conversations about theology and art in the city.
Phill Hopkins, “I am personally committed to enriching the life of the city of Leeds. My art practice promotes reflection around issues such as truth, identity and belonging and is rooted in playful risk taking and exploration.”
Follow Hopkins' project via the Instagram account house_of_questions
More on Leeds Church Institute
image: Phill Hopkins with Dr Charlotte Naylor-Davis, at the start of the project in Hopkins' studio.
More on Leeds Church Institute
WEBSITE: www.phill-hopkins.co.uk
TWITTER @phill_hopkins
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/phill_hopkins/
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