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4SERIES 12/3 ALEXANDER CROFT - FINE ART AND CURATION

Submitted by taieseid on 31 December 2016 - 12:48pm

 

Tell us about yourself, your medium and the main focus of your practise?

My name is Alexander J. Croft, I am an artist and curator who lives and works in Liverpool. I graduated in 2015 from Nottingham Trent University and in May 2016 I established The Trophy Room Gallery, an artist led space in Liverpool.

My work involves looking at the hardship we face through the mundane nature of working life, trying to survive through the grey repetitive nature of living in the UK. I am interested in microcosms in the north of England, places where we go for an escape that don’t quite fit the norms of the surroundings. For example; fast food shops, theme parks and arcades. For me, they are a place that is created as a new space from the moment you walk through the door. They are entirely complex with crafted sound, light and visual aesthetics for the main purpose of making you forget the outside world and being encapsulated in its space.

My practice takes on many forms and doesn’t stick to one medium. My work visually reminds me of the epic pathetic, aspects of existing in a space, which doesn’t quite fit, awkward in its nature.

 

 

 

What have you been doing since graduation, where could we have you’re your work, what projects have you been working on and how are you finding life as a grad?

Recently my work has been exploring the notion of collaboration with other artists living and working for minimum wage. It is important to me that the artists I have been working with hold a strong sense of self-belief in their artistic practice, often outweighing the desire to live in relative luxury.

I started The Trophy Room Gallery in order to build a platform for recently graduated artists to help to explore their practice through a series of monthly exhibitions, talks and workshops. A place to connect with people throughout the city and extend a network outside of the ones they gained through university.

The gallery is an unconventional space that resides within The Royal Standard. The Trophy Room is non-white walled in nature, modelled on American hunting lodges and the idea of showcasing of trophies on its walls. This challenges the artist to consider their work from a new perspective in an exhibition context.

We have held 6 successful exhibitions in The Trophy Room, with artists from across the UK and we are soon expanding to have our first international exhibitions. We are also starting a separate upcoming project to connect fine art students and graduated artists to work together to create a show.

 

 

What’s next, what’ve you got in the pipeline, what new things are you working on?

I am currently working towards producing a publication centred around the post Brexit financial stability of the young English artist, discussing creative practices with other artists in the north of England. I am also putting together an exciting programme of events for the Trophy Room Gallery.

I am attending an upcoming residency in February as part of the Blackpool Weekender, provided by UKYA and Abingdon Studios which I’m hoping will be an exciting weekend for creative discussion­­ and new potential collaborative projects.

 

 

CHECK OUT ALEX’S WORK www.alexanderjcroft.co.uk  AND HIS GALLERY www.thetrophyroom.org HERE

INTERVIEW by HANNAH SMITH