Amici.Art

IN PROGRESS RJ Fernandez 1-6 June We’re pleased to announce the second iteration of In Progress, an ongoing strand of activity at Amici Studio that opens the space to artists as a site of making, experimentation, participation and dialogue. RJ Fernandez will occupy the studio with Ginugunita Kita (which translates as “I am reminiscing you” in Tagalog, a native language of the Philippines), a week-long participatory installation exploring the compression of time, memory and the collective marking of space. A continuous sheet of light-sensitive photographic paper which will be exposed to ambient light for the duration of the project. Visitors will be invited to bring a stone from the seafront and place it onto the paper. Each stone creates a silhouette of absence and presence, holding back the light and creating marks that shift and evolve over the course of the week. As the days pass, the exposed paper slowly changes while the areas beneath the stones remain preserved. The resulting work becomes a visual map of collective presence, seven days of interaction, memory and gesture contained within a single artwork. The project will begin with visits from local school groups before opening out during Amici Studio’s regular public hours, allowing visitors to contribute to the work. The installation exists in dialogue with the late Filipino artist David Medalla and his seminal participatory work A Stitch in Time, embracing the artwork not as a fixed object but as a living and evolving collaboration. An accompanying interactive sound installation by Tony Birch will fill the gallery with the resonant sound of Hag Stones moving across a weathered metal plate. Open Studio Public Opening Saturday 6 June, 12–4pm The completed photographic work will be suspended within the gallery and opened to the public for a one-day exhibition. RJ Fernandez’s practice spans photography, film and collaborative making, exploring personal and collective histories through the lens of labour, migration, memory and material culture. Born in Manila and now based in Hastings. RJ was introduced to us with thanks by Maria Chen of @centrfld.art

Introducing | Amici Crit Club Amici Crit Club is a new addition to our artist development and support programme at Amici Studio. Upcoming sessions: NEW SESSION ADDED Thursday 28 May 1pm Previous sessions Tuesday 28 April, 10am–12pm Thursday 7 May, 7–9pm Inspired by the group critique sessions of art school, these are small, focused gatherings where artists are invited to share works in progress, early ideas, or bring a subject for discussion. The sessions are designed as a space for open conversation, where participants can receive thoughtful, constructive feedback from a small group of peers. Each session is led by George Mingozzi-Marsh, drawing on over 15 years of experience working with artists at all stages of their careers through curating and running galleries. Group sizes are intentionally limited to allow for meaningful discussion. Discourse will be open, honest and supportive, with contributions from both George and the artists present. Our hope is that these sessions will help foster a local peer network — a group of artists who can continue to support, challenge and develop one another beyond the sessions themselves, extending Amici’s wider commitment to collaboration and community. We will aim to run one daytime and one evening session each month to accommodate different schedules. Upcoming sessions: Tuesday 28 April, 10am–12pm Thursday 7 May, 7–9pm Sessions run for approximately 2 hours. These are our first sessions, and we see them as an opportunity to shape what Crit Club becomes. The artists who join these early sessions will play an important role in defining how they develop going forward. Tickets: £10 standard £20 Pay It Forward (includes one ticket for you and one assigned to someone on a lower income) £0 concession (limited availability for those unwaged or on a low income, supported by the Pay It Forward scheme) Spaces are limited.

April Events at Amici Studio We are excited to share our April events programme, built around our next exhibition Declarative Language, opening this weekend. Fri 10 April, 7.30pm Amici Salon – A Studio Supper Club £75, limited tickets Our salon supper club returns with Declarative Language, bringing together food, conversation and artists for an intimate shared evening in the space. Chef @keithburkeprivatechef Music and chat @alexanderwolfegram Introductions from @kate_c_adams_ ( @projectartworks ) and curators Kelly & Alexis Sat 11 April – Sat 9 May Declarative Language Free, exhibition Curated by Kelly Jessiman and Alexis Soul-Gray, this group exhibition brings together artists exploring language, form and material as sites of meaning and exchange. Public opening: Sat 11 April, 12–4pm Thu 23 April, 5.30pm Amici x Queer Ass Folk – Live Music £12 An evening of live music in the studio with performances from Fiig, Theo Dussek and Charlie Austen, in collaboration with @queerassfolkmusic . Thu 30 April, 6.30pm @hettiejudah Book Launch – How to Enter the Art World… After £5 (or pay what you can), booking required Join Hettie Judah for a launch and discussion around her new book, offering insight, access and alternative routes into the art world. Fri 1 May, 2pm Panel Discussion – Declarative Language x Art Working Parents £5 (or pay what you can), booking required A conversation with Hettie Judah, Alexis Soul-Gray and Kelly Jessiman exploring artistic practice alongside parenthood and the structures that shape both. Join us at Amici Studio throughout the month. Booking and tickets via the link in bio. — Declarative Language exhibiting artists: @studio.edie @nicolahicksofficial @kellyjessiman @mindylee.me @natashamacvoy @katemontgomerypainter @a.n.j.smith @alexis_soul_gray @maliheh_zafarnezhad Accompanying essay by @lisharoon

NEW SESSION ADDED Amici Crit Club Thursday 28 May, 1–3pm Following a really thoughtful and generous first session, we’re pleased to announce a new daytime edition of Amici Crit Club later this month. Amici Crit Club is part of our ongoing artist development and support programme at Amici Studio. Inspired by the group critique sessions of art school, these are small, focused gatherings where artists are invited to share works in progress, early ideas, or bring a subject for discussion. The sessions are designed as an open space for conversation, constructive feedback and peer support, led by George Mingozzi-Marsh drawing on over 15 years of experience working with artists through curating and running galleries. Group sizes are intentionally limited to allow for meaningful discussion and exchange. One of the most encouraging things from the first sessions has been seeing connections begin to form between artists from different backgrounds and at different stages in their practices. Sessions run for approximately 2 hours. Tickets: £10 standard £20 Pay It Forward (includes one ticket for you and one allocated to someone on a lower income) £0 concession (limited availability for those unwaged or on a low income, supported by the Pay It Forward scheme) Spaces are limited. Booking via link in bio.

In the final week of Declarative Language we hosted one of our community outreach sessions with a group of Year 5 pupils from Mulberry Baird School, Hastings. The students visited Amici Studio where they met with our artist facilitator and Head of Community, Laura @mingomingostudio , alongside artist and co-curator of the exhibition @kellyjessiman . Kelly spoke to the children about the themes of her work and how she uses the surfaces of her ceramic sculptures to express thoughts, feelings and lived experiences. The children were then invited to decorate unglazed clay tiles with their own emotions, ideas and drawings using charcoal pencils and oil pastels. Finally, they were invited to position their tiles within the exhibition itself, where they joined the works by the exhibiting artists and, in a way, completed the exhibition for its final days. Of the 31 pupils in the group, only 7 said they had previously visited a gallery or arts space. A core aim of Amici Studio is not only to present ambitious contemporary art programming in Hastings, but also to make artistic spaces feel more open, welcoming and accessible to people who may not otherwise encounter them. We believe creative spaces should belong to and connect with the communities around them, and it was genuinely wonderful to see the students engaging so openly and thoughtfully with the exhibition and the ideas within it. Amici Community is supported with thanks to the Chalk Hill Trust. If you would like to support our ongoing community programming email [email protected] Declarative Language was curated by @alexis_soul_gray and @kellyjessiman featuring works by: @studio.edie @nicolahicksofficial @kellyjessiman @mindylee.me @natashamacvoy @katemontgomerypainter @a.n.j.smith @alexis_soul_gray @maliheh_zafarnezhad (Tiles from @claybrookstudio )

LAST DAY Declarative Language closes today, Saturday 9 May, at 4pm. Over the past few weeks, it has been incredibly rewarding to see the conversations, connections and exchanges that have emerged around this exhibition. Through visits, events and shared experiences, the show has brought together different communities in ways that have felt both meaningful and generous. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited, contributed and spent time with the exhibition so far. Curated by @alexis_soul_gray and @kellyjessiman featuring works by: @studio.edie @nicolahicksofficial @kellyjessiman @mindylee.me @natashamacvoy @katemontgomerypainter @a.n.j.smith @alexis_soul_gray @maliheh_zafarnezhad Open today: 11am–4pm The full exhibition can also be viewed online at amici.art, including the accompanying essay by @lisharoon

Declarative Language closes this Saturday, 9 May at 4pm. The response to this exhibition over the past few weeks has been really wonderful. Alongside the exhibition itself, we have seen so many thoughtful conversations and connections emerge between different communities connected to the themes of the show, through visits, events, discussions and shared experiences. I recorded this short video reflecting a little on that and on what the exhibition has meant to us at Amici Studio. Curated by @alexis_soul_gray and @kellyjessiman featuring works by: @studio.edie @nicolahicksofficial @kellyjessiman @mindylee.me @natashamacvoy @katemontgomerypainter @a.n.j.smith @alexis_soul_gray @maliheh_zafarnezhad Open: Wednesday–Friday, 10–3pm Saturday, 11–4pm or by appointment The full exhibition can also now be viewed online at amici.art, including the accompanying essay by @lisharoon

What a BEAUtiful night!!! Thank you to everybody who came, to our magnificent performers @fiigmusic @charlieaustenmusic & @theodussekpiratetroubadour and to our generous hosts @amici__art - this is truly such a special space you have created, we can’t wait to come back soon 🐸💕 📸 - @piicsbyelle

The final few days of Declarative Language at Amici Studio. Closing Saturday 9 May. Over the past few weeks it has been a privilege to share this exhibition and the conversations that have grown around it. Curated by @alexis_soul_gray and @kellyjessiman , Declarative Language brings together a remarkable group of artists whose practices engage with motherhood, care, neurodivergence and lived experience with honesty, complexity and generosity. The exhibition has sparked so many thoughtful conversations through visits, events and gatherings at the studio, and we are hugely grateful to everyone who has spent time with the show. Featuring: @studio.edie @nicolahicksofficial @kellyjessiman @mindylee.me @natashamacvoy @katemontgomerypainter @a.n.j.smith @alexis_soul_gray @maliheh_zafarnezhad Open: Wednesday–Friday, 10–3pm Saturday, 11–4pm or by appointment You can now view the full exhibition online at amici.art, including the accompanying essay by @lisharoon . Photography: Rob Harris courtesy of Amici Studio

What a BEAUtiful night!!! Thank you to everybody who came, to our magnificent performers @fiigmusic @charlieaustenmusic & @theodussekpiratetroubadour and to our generous hosts @amici__art - this is truly such a special space you have created, we can’t wait to come back soon 🐸💕 📸 - @piicsbyelle

Declarative Language is open until 4pm today. There is now just one week left to see this genuinely special exhibition. I have been putting on exhibitions for 20 years, and I do not think I have ever been involved in a project that has generated this level of engagement. Brought together in such a generous spirit by @alexis_soul_gray and @kellyjessiman , this is an exhibition that has connected with people on a deeply personal level, as much as, if not more than, on its artistic merits. Each artist has shared something of their lived experience, and in doing so has given voice to so many parents. Featuring: @studio.edie @nicolahicksofficial @kellyjessiman @mindylee.me @natashamacvoy @katemontgomerypainter @a.n.j.smith @alexis_soul_gray @maliheh_zafarnezhad Declarative Language continues until 9 May Open Wednesday to Friday, 10–3pm Saturday, 11–4pm or by appointment Come and see us at 12 Claremont, Hastings before the show closes.

What a great couple of days at Amici Studio Two events with the wonderful @hettiejudah celebrating motherhood, care, support and different pathways into art as part of our Declarative Language programme. From left to right @mindylee.me @kellyjessiman @hettiejudah & @alexis_soul_gray Thank you to everyone who came to an event (and some for coming to both!) for your warmth, openness, and generosity. I love the community we are building here. Community, collaboration and conversation. X