Ffound

The Woolff Gallery has specialised in 3-dimensional artworks for a number of years, we are consistently drawn to works created using unusual mediums or techniques.

As a gallery we have noticed a common trend emerging in which artists are creating incredible works of art using found objects and re-purposed materials. In almost all cases the artworks chosen for this exhibition have taken months or even years to create, and the act of collecting and finding the materials has become a lifelong obsession for the artist.

There is a term ‘SlowArt’, which was coined in the late 80’s as a reaction to the fast-paced, high-speed culture of the decade. This term considers art not just as an occupation, but as a vocation and continuing devotion to the individuals’ practise.

“Art is a way of life, a method of being, a way of perceiving the world.” SLOWINSKI 1978

When speaking to many of the artists who have been selected for the ‘Ffound’ exhibition one realises the focus and devotion that they each hold towards their work, the act of finding, processing and selecting the materials and objects that they use is often as satisfying and exciting to them as completing the work itself.

Within the artworks selected for this exhibition there is often a theme or commentary hiding below the surface. Frequently there is the concept of sustainability, the environment, and the damage that humans are doing to the planet, but also apparent is an opposition to the accelerated pace of life in the 21st century, where high-speed communication, hand-held devices, and computers encourage us to act and think quickly. These thoughtful, lo-tech, and slowly hand-made artworks all encompass this opposing theme in their own unique way.