Gill Hedley

It is my privilege to have been working behind the scenes with three artists all of whom are launching major projects: in Lille, London and at the Venice Biennale.

One is a permanent, public art commission on an unprecedented scale in Lille, the second a celebration of a long and distinguished career with brand new work in London; and last, but only in chronological order, an artist who is creating a major architectural installation for the pavilion of the Holy See at the Venice Biennale.

I am delighted to have been instrumental in introducing Jyll Bradley's work to Artconnexion in Lille and proposing that Ann Sutton's 80th birthday and her vivacious new work should be celebrated in London. I can't pretend to have been an eminence grise in Venice or the Vatican but will be at Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva’s side in the Arsenale and am working closely with her on her current Wellcome-funded research project.

A catalogue, with essays by writers including Professor Ben Quash, will be available.

The resulting exhibition of Elpida’s work will begin at the Djanogly Gallery, University of Nottingham, in late 2016. The exhibition is then available for tour.

Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva has been awarded funding by the Wellcome Trust for an art and biomedicine project in collaboration with Dr. Alasdair Forbes from UEA and Dr. Richard Day from UCL. A touring exhibition will be organised during 2016/17.

→ Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva's website (www)
→ summary of Elpida's work on this site

detail of installation Le Jardin Hospitalier (2015) Lille

Images illustrate Lille’s long history as a botanical city; the wall panels are of Douglas fir, gently wavy coated steel and neon Perspex; there is also an area with beautiful benches and books for study. A book of the same title has been published.

Jacob Epstein and Portland Mason, 1952

Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), pioneer of modernism and distinguished portrait sculptor, made many portraits of children throughout his career. This exhibition, curated by Gill Hedley, explores Epstein’s love of children as subject matter by bringing together a remarkable selection of his moving bronzes and drawings of babies and children, including members of his own family.

Epstein made his first sculptures of babies as a young man in Paris, becoming even more compelled by the subject on becoming a father in 1918. He worked from a number of studios in the Bloomsbury area and, from 1916, lived in a house which overlooked the Foundling Hospital, close to his beloved British Museum - a place of inspiration for Epstein.

The artist’s life in Bloomsbury between 1914 and 1927 provided a bohemian backdrop for his work. During this time he had five children from a number of extramarital affairs. His first wife Margaret, was unable to have children but brought up the eldest and youngest of these children. She endured her husband’s infidelities until her death in 1947, although she is alleged to have shot his long-term lover Kathleen Garman - later Lady Epstein - in the shoulder with a pearl-handled pistol.

Beyond the complexities of his domestic life, there is no doubt that as an artist Epstein loved children. Portraits of his own children, his grandchildren and those of his friends and contemporaries show how this bear-like man was entranced by his small subjects and the challenges they presented.

The exhibition features bronzes, drawings and archive photographs of the artist, his children and their mothers, and explores Epstein’s life in Bloomsbury in the shadow of the Foundling Hospital.

Nicola Naismith is conducting conversations about what studios mean to different people.

→ text on Gill Hedley's response to the topic, with links for you to follow the conversation
→ summary of Nicola's work on this site

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