LONDON.- Every Day is a Miracle is Art Belows first gallery exhibition since January, and is now on view at
Ad Lib Gallery.
Following months of isolation and global uncertainty, Every Day is a Miracle celebrates a reunion of work by the artists Art Below has presented throughout its fifteen-year history, as well as an optimistic look towards the future. Open to the public for ten days, this exhibition comprises a series of events, each with a limited capacity to comply with guidance as the COVID-19 lockdown measures begin to lift.
We live in extraordinary times, and beyond great tragedies, recent years have also seen triumph and pride in moments of adversity, from the Queens Diamond Jubilee to the 50th Anniversary of the first moon landing and the great work of our NHS themes which have been explored in past exhibitions and which are returned to again here as Art Below looks optimistically towards the future, with fresh works recently created by artists longstanding and newly brought on board.
Curator and Art Below Co-Founder Ben Moore says: I feel that the coronavirus has created a wall in history, and that everything that happened before 2020 we will reminisce about for years to come about the way things used to be. This brief window of time is an opportunity for me as a curator to reflect on those wonderful years as Art Below went on its journey, from 2006 to its last event at the start of this year. This is a chance for us to relive that wonderful time, enjoying a gallery as we used to do and seeing those iconic works that once starred on the walls of the London Underground in a new environment. Things, I believe, will not be the same again in our lifetimes, however with change comes opportunity, and we are looking forward to our continued work with new, emerging artists on the scene, as well as those with whom we have collaborated for over a decade.
The exhibition is part retrospective, looking back at some of the most iconic billboard posters from Art Belows fifteen-year span, including Ben Eine, Sarah Maple, Billy Childish and Alison Jackson, as well as work from the Art Wars collection by artists such as Hayden Kays, Philip Colbert, Orlanda Broom and Joe Rush. The show also unveils fresh new work by James Ostrer, Karen Bystedt, Anna Kenneally, Tom Lumley, Jeffrey Robb, Ben Eine, Ru Knox, Mark Metcalfe, Pauline Amos, Nasser Azam and Mikey Voice.
A section of the show is being dedicated to the work of underwater photographer Terry Arpino (12 December 1944 7 April 2020), who sadly passed away in April. Terry was a regular Art Below exhibitor from its earliest days and will be greatly missed. He became passionately interested in underwater photography over 35 years ago, excited about how nature shows its beauty and colour in the shapes and forms of organisms, living in this challenging yet serene environment. He enthusiastically described his unique practice as being at times beyond imagination and dreams.
A billboard poster of work by Terry Arpino was installed at Hyde Park Corner Tube Station on Monday 13 July 2020. RIP Terry.