Joanne Tinker, 'Collections'

The Woolff Gallery is delighted to present a vibrant and colourful solo exhibition: ‘Collections...’ by Joanne Tinker. Whether an organised array of tiny, miniature goblets made from brightly-coloured sweet wrappers, or rows upon rows of miniature chairs made from luxury wine bottle tops, Tinker’s interest and skill in re-using discarded objects chimes well with these ‘recycle’ times. Tinker’s meticulous artworks always generate considerable interest from a diverse set of admirers, be it from Art Collectors, Museums, chocolate or champagne lovers, or simply due to the fact that these beautiful, joyful artworks evoke a certain sense of nostalgia to which most of us can relate.

Joanne’s artworks are on permanent display at the Science Museum alongside work from Vivian Westwood. Recently her artwork has appeared at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, at the New York Museum of Art and Design, and in the White Rabbit Collection, Sydney. Tinker was also recommended in The Miami Herald as one of the top picks for Art Miami / Basel week 2010. Her artworks have been featured in The Telegraph, The Evening Standard, and The Guardian as well as magazines such as Vogue, Homes and Property, Living Etc.. to name a few.

This exhibition pushes the boundaries of the creative imagination in terms of re-use, & recycle and we promise that you will never view a discarded sweet wrapper in the same way again...!

“Since before I could pack my own school bag, I’ve been cramming ideas into shoe-boxes and pasting trinkets into notebooks held together with elastic bands. I suppose its creative hoarding really! But once at Art College, my extraordinary textiles teacher (Sue Lawty) told us that we could make anything out of the materials we found in our homes, backpacks and litter bins. And so, she gave flight to my stash of dusty butterflies and desiccated paperclips!

Consequently, my work is heavily influenced by the concept of recycling; transforming metal bottle tops, acupuncture tubes,
confectionary wrapping, and aluminium cans into something precious, something special. The use of chocolate foil wrappings remains a constant in my work - not because of my love of chocolate - but rather my wholehearted appreciation of the material’s colour, texture, delicacy and strength. Simply, I unwrap one form and recreate another. And then repeat. And repeat. As many collections are categorised by forms of repetition, so my collections are characterised by the replication of multiples and miniatures, blending my childhood fascinations with deliberated uniformity”. JOANNE TINKER