Nomads and their art

Antlers is a Bristol based nomadic gallery which means they move from place to place and as you can imagine it makes them a bit hard to pin down. So I took my chance to chat to one of the curators at the preview show of their 4^th exhibition, Botany. This particular exhibition was located in an intimate space on Christmas steps, one of the oldest parts of Bristol, where the 5 artists showing fitted neatly in to the two tiny rooms.

A favourite of Antlers, having shown with them before, is Anouk Mercier. Her drawings are classic and detailed with a Victorian feel, that fitted perfectly with the historic surroundings and scientific aspects of Botany. It was also echoed in the framing of her work with oval frames, something not really used since the Victorian times. I wondered how the organising of many artists in all the different spaces could be done? Surely moving space for every exhibition can get tiring? However Antlers thrives off this, with the different ways of displaying work and using a framers round the corner, means they get involved with the nuts and bolts of the show. Liaising with artists and manoeuvring around what can sometimes be a completely different space from before. Having gone from a modern shop front in the new Cabot Circus complex to this historic one on Christmas steps. With this constant nomadic roaming comes new neighbours, something Antlers seems to love. Having the chance to work around new people is good, as they get to meet all their neighbours and all of them have been supportive. Especially for this Botany exhibition as it has felt like being welcomed in to a small community with the local shop owners coming along to nose and offer help. It is so lovely to see a community come together in support of local artists and home grown curators.

Its not only the locals Antlers like to interact with but the buyers of the art. It can be all types of people that acquire art and Antlers seem to love the idea their artists work being taken in to someones home and loved like one of the family. The pieces sold will hopefully take pride of place in someones house or office and become part of that buyers existence and every day life. This is what Antlers is about, bringing art into everyday life, having it morph in to something permanent and sustainable. With the mediums of the previously shown artists being some what classical practices they are bringing back a truly old school, even Victorian style to the Bristol art scene.