I have been invited to contribute to the Art on a Postcard auction for International Women’s Day 2024, to raise money for The Hepatitis C Trust - a campaign to eliminate hepatitis C in the UK by the year 2030. Artists and photographers who have taken part in previous auctions include Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Marc Quinn, Gilbert and George, Peter Blake RA. Below you can find more details of this meaningful auction and it’s prestigious history, and the story behind my artworks available to purchase:
About the new postcard-sized works:
'Murmuration of Thoughts' and 'Brilliant Confusion' have been selected by curators Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro. The works are postcard-sized drawings by international text-sculptor Nicola Anthony. Made in the artist’s signature drawing style using letters as 'pixels’. These artworks use an absence of coherent language to convey the inability to put something into words; the amorphous state that our thoughts can exist in before they crystallise.
Murmuration of Thoughts
There is often a sense of overwhelm and misunderstanding through a cloud of disconnected letters in these drawings and at other times they convey a deep sense of meaning contained within, that we may not decipher at present.
The depiction of murmurations of starlings started to form part of the artist’s lexicon after her research into isolated communities in 2019. Sketchbook drawings about migration incorporated the birds as an allegory for the many people across the world who have had to migrate from their homes and settle in a new village, city, land or community.
In nature, the birds’ coordination is caused by thousands of individual movements and instinctive actions. This phenomenon is called emergent behaviour, where they appear choreographed but are in fact all acting independently. The parallels with how humans behave in a crowd or as part of a society began to be a deeper area of the artist’s research around belonging: From the outside each individual appears like they know where they fit in, which can make it incredibly hard for someone from outside the community to find their place. This motif has also been seen in the artist’s metal sculptures featuring starlings which have words for wings - the most recent murmuration of 150 birds has just been acquired by the art collection of University of Galway, celebrating language and provoking curiosity in human connection.
Over the years intricate prints and drawings in this style have also been created at a large, installational scale and can be found in art collections around the world.
Brilliant confusion
Pen ink on paper
Size 105 x 148mm
2023
About Art on a Postcard
In 2014 Art on a Postcard was intended to be a one off secret postcard auction, but it went so well it has spawned a small industry. Artists and photographers who have taken part in AOAP auctions include Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Marc Quinn, Gilbert and George, Peter Blake RA, Hurvin Anderson, Grayson Perry RA, Larry Clark, Martin Parr, Michael Craig Martin RA, Chantal Joffe RA, Joan Snyder, Claudette Johnson, Mali Morris RA, Genieve Figgis, Vanessa Jackson RA, Rebecca Salter RA, Anne Desmet RA, Catherine Opie, Wolfgang Tillmans, Paula Rego, Julian Opie, Hassan Hajajj, Cecily Brown, Harland Miller, Marina Abramović, Florine Démosthène, Lubaina Himid and Jeremy Deller.
About the Curators:
Liza Shapiro and Georgia Powell are the Founders of CURA Art, a company to support collectors, and The Residency aimed at championing collecting with purpose and supporting underrepresented artists. Through the two platforms, the founders have created an environment that is focused on long-term care and legacy. Based in London and Los Angeles, CURA Art offers a personal and trusted approach to caring for varied collections, providing specialized services and expertise to ensure that works of art and other precious objects are preserved, managed, and displayed to the highest standards. Using their training in conservation, museum studies, art history and curation, they focus on advising collectors with the management and care of their collections, as well as with their philanthropy and patronage.
Take Part:
Find the bidding links above, or view the full digital catalogue here and visit the auction site to bid until 12 March 2024.
