140 ARTISTS IN ONE EXHIBITION

Welcome to the End of the Year Show 2021.

This is a group exhibition celebrating all of our creative endeavours over the past 12 months, made up of more than 200 artworks.

The show runs from December 17, 2021, until January 6, 2022 at the Art of Isolation gallery in Surrey Quays, south-east London, with all the exhibits also online.

A call for entries was answered with 210 works of art entered into the display in the real life, with lots more into the online-only section of the catalogue.

We had entries from 140 artists of all ages and backgrounds, from the full-timers right through to people just starting out.

And that is the great strength of this exhibition – it unites all levels of experience in one eclectic melting pot.

This is the third group show I have curated and I think it is the strongest body of work I have displayed.

There were no rules to entry – the artwork just had to be something made in the past 12 months.

I put out the call and received artwork from across the spectrum, from painting to drawing, sculpture to printmaking and textiles.

As well as independent artists, there is a selection of 30 works submitted from nearby Bacon’s College, with students from Years 7 through to 13 putting in art expressing the uncertainty and upheaval to their school life due to Covid.

Their work ranges from ceramic pumpkins by Year 7s, through to a series of painted house bricks telling the story of migration, and vinyl records joined together as the basis for a piece celebrating music and friendship.

Textile and fabric work also plays a big part, with a catsuit by Year 11s Precious and Zoe originally created for a Black History Month fashion show.

And a group of neurodivergent artists also exhibited their creations.
The anything-goes nature of the display means there is plenty to catch the eye, and most of the artworks are for sale, ranging from £5 right through to more than £1,000.