NPA Lab | 2020
Becca Pelly-Fry
Established
Becca Pelly-Fry is an independent curator, writer and cultural consultant; her curatorial practice encompasses an interest in materiality and the process of making, through to explorations of human/animal relationships, symbiosis with the natural world, healing and spirituality. Pelly-Fry is also a Level 2 Reiki healer.
Laura Ribbons
Emerging
Laura Ribbons is an artist, curator and passionate environmentalist. She was shortlisted for the Clyde & Co Art Award in 2012 – 2013.
Video (2020)
Laura Ribbons
‘Patios Cordobeses’ (2020)
Watercolour, charcoal and pencil on paper (150cm x 150cm)
“My conversation with Becca was fascinating, challenging and joyful. We talked about curation and energy flow, personal career trajectories and trajectories within the art world at large. I felt inspired to think more about how I represent my work online and also how I will move forward as a curator. My experience with New Platform Art at large has demonstrated to me anew that while art may be a solitary activity in the making process, it is very much a shared activity in the discussion that comes afterwards, in the meetings with other artists and creative practitioners. I am reminded that just because I am no longer at art school, I am still very much part of a wider artistic community. Something that feels especially important to remind myself at the moment.”
Laura Ribbons
‘Take Courage’ (2020)
Watercolour, pencil and collage on paper (150cm x 80cm)
“These works were all made during 2020. Patios Cordobeses and Aftermath were created during the first UK lockdown. Patios Cordobeses in particular is a work of pure escapism as I revisit the ‘patios’ of Cordoba, Spain, which I had cheerfully explored only a year earlier, while living abroad. Take Courage, the most recent work, was completed in tandem with my conversation with Becca back in September. The work explores different forms of urban green space. The title is in part, a command to myself, the artist… in painting this work I am reminding myself to take courage in the progress that has been made and use this as motivation to keep moving forward, however impossible this feels in the current climate.”
Laura Ribbons
Laura Ribbons (b.1990) is an artist and curator based in Hastings, UK. She graduated from Wimbledon College of Art in 2012 with a BA Honours degree in Fine Art (Painting). Since then she has exhibited across the UK and internationally. In 2016, she gained a Masters degree in Environmental Anthropology and in 2019, Laura curated two exhibitions: Hidden Worlds, at the Old Newington Gallery in London and a solo exhibition in Spain. Currently, Laura continues to
make new work in her Hastings studio, while also preparing to organise and curate an exhibition to coincide with Glasgow’s 2021 Climate Conference: COP26.
Curated by Becca Pelly-Fry
Elephant x Maisie Cousins ‘Dipping Sauce’ (2018)
“I’m delighted to have been able to take part in the NPA Lab; talking to Laura was as inspiring for me as it (hopefully!) was for her. The energy and passion of young artists like Laura gives me great hope for the future of the cultural sector in the UK. Support programmes like NPA are absolutely essential in ensuring as many of those sparks of enthusiasm become roaring fires rather than dying out along the long and winding journey to becoming a successful artist.”
Curated by Becca Pelly-Fry
David Mach ‘Incoming’ at the Griffin Gallery (2017))
Becca is an independent curator, writer and cultural consultant. Originally trained as a sculptor at Northumbria University, she specialises in working with emerging to mid-career artists, creating immersive experiences that encourage interaction and dialogue between art, artist and audience. Her curatorial practice encompasses an interest in materiality and the process of making, through to explorations of human/animal relationships, symbiosis with the natural world, healing and spirituality.
Becca was Director and Curator of Griffin Gallery (2013-2018) and Head Curator for Elephant West, a large experimental art space in White City, for its first year of operation (2018-2019).
Becca is also a Level 2 Reiki healer and is currently learning about Andean Shamanism, both of which bring a complementary set of practices to her professional and personal life.