Universal Thread
Universal Thread explores the fundamental and fragile nature of our sense of self, place and time in the world we inhabit. The works on show are rooted in the use of materials which speak to the elemental building blocks of the Universe and life itself: carbon, graphite, silica, water, hydrogen and oxygen. The muted colour pallet allows for the viewer’s experience to centre on the play of light, form and tactility. The works are united by the tension between yearning to establish a kind of permanence whilst knowing and accepting impermanence.
Michelle Di Leo’s series of graphite drawings started life as a single very large-scale drawing, which she has later cut into multiple pieces which completely fractures and alters the way they speak to each other and how we read them. This breakage reactivates the connection between the work, the artist and the viewer. Deeply embedded in the drawings are references to space time and gravity, the enormity of which forms the structure of existence.
Shaowei Lai’s ceramics show a fascination with the slowing down of time that making them requires. Their existence becomes a very fragile permanence. Their deceptive form as vessels intertwined with thread signifies a strong sense of containment. Alongside her thread drawings, the overarching feeling is one of the complexity of what it means to be human in our Universe.
20th June - Preview 6.30 - 8.30pm
Open:
Sat/Sun 22/23 June - 10am -5pm
Sat/Sun 29/30 June - 10am -5pm
Sat/Sun 6/7 July 10am - 5pm (with celebratory wine/music in the afternoon of Sunday 7th July to close)
Michelle Di Leo (@michelledileo)
Michelle Di Leo (b.1970, London) creates work based on a fascination with absence and presence, memory and time, often explored in liminal spaces which defy categorisation.
Michelle’s practice often begins with drawing and photography where she is drawn to the half-seen shadow, what is there but at the same time not there. She uses a range of mediums and materials to develop her exploration of these starting points. Her work deftly demonstrates an interplay between light and shadow to create form and atmosphere. Her work is informed by her interest in theories about the origin and nature of the Universe and our place in it.
Michelle graduated with an BA (Hons) in Philosophy with English Literature in 1992 from the University of Kent at Canterbury. In 1993 she achieved a Masters (with Distinction) in Government and Politics from London Guildhall University. She spent nearly 30 years in strategic communications running creative campaigns and providing senior counsel to a wide range of businesses and organisations. In 2021 she shifted her focus to developing her art practice. She gained a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (with Distinction) in 2022. She completed the first year of a Fine Art (Drawing) BA in 2023 at UAL Camberwell and intends to return to complete her BA after a break to focus on her studio practice. This year she attended the Drawing Intensive course at the Royal Drawing School to continue to develop and broaden her practice. She has exhibited in several group shows in the last three years including ‘There Yet’ at Downstairs, Brixton, London, 2022; ‘Before Now, After Then’, Bargehouse Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, London, 2023, SFSA Painting Open, 2023, SFSA Drawing Open 2024. Michelle lives and works in Blackheath, South East London.
Shaowei Lai (@shaowei_art)
Shaowei Lai (b. 1980, Shen Zhen, China) explores and makes sense of life through the process of creating. She employs different techniques and materials in her practice such as painting, drawing and sculpting, using cotton thread, paper, clay and other found objects in her work. She allows her intuition to guide her choice of medium as a starting point, then reflects and learns through the making process. The thoughts and ideas that go through her mind during the making and the final artwork itself inform her the direction of further research. This process continues, allowing her art to evolve and enrich.
Shaowei graduated with BA (Hons) in Finance in 2003 from London School of Economics and Political Science and MSc in Investment Management in 2004 from Bayes Business School. She worked in the financial sector since graduation. In 2019, after becoming a mother of her two young children, she was inspired to pursue art which has always been her long-term passion. She started undertaking the Artelier Conservatoire course in Blackheath and subsequently gained a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design in CityLit in 2022. She is currently studying BA in Fine Art Drawing at UAL Camberwell College of Art to further develop her practice.
Shaowei has been actively engaged in community collaborative art projects such as ‘Drawing in Social Space’ project in 2022 and ‘The Room of Unpredictable Drawing’ project in 2023 with Drawing Room London. Her work was displayed in the ‘Drawing in Social Space’ exhibition in Drawing Room in 2023. She was also selected to be one of the participating artists performing live portraits for South London Gallery ‘Who’s On It’ community event in 2023. Additional selection of Shaowei’s recent group exhibitions includes ‘There Yet’, Downstairs Gallery, Brixton, London, 2022; ‘Before Now, After Then’, Bargehouse Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, London, 2023; Art Hub Studios, Deptford, London 2023; UAL Camberwell College of Art Gallery Space, London, 2023; Copeland Gallery, Peckham, London, 2024.
Shaowei lives and works in Greenwich, South East London.