Deeqa Ismail, Emma Jackson, Hazel Stileman, Kirsty McCrindle, Michelle Olivier, Nan Collantine, Suzanne Bethell, Yvonne Noworyta are a group of female artists from Greater Manchester with a rich history of expressive, contemporary artmaking. Drawing upon the world around them and a wealth of life experience, common themes of memory, loss, joy, a sense of place, and their collective experience within it, emerge and bind their diverse practices.

Deeqa works with printmaking, sound, video, and installations, often incorporating analogue processes and Somali sonic archives. She describes how “printmaking frequently acts as the starting point in her work.”

Emma’s ‘memory blocks’ are small assemblages of mono-screenprint fragments, children’s building blocks, and shellac. “Through creation, destruction, and reconstruction, I reflect on what we remember, what fades, and what is entirely reimagined”.

Hazel’s main process is the deconstruction and reconstitution of found objects. “Through reconstitution and by caring and connecting with this inanimate object I hope to give it a new future whilst also somehow connecting with its past narrative.”

Kirsty is a mixed media and abstract painter using collage, texture, and a process of layering and revealing. She treats painting as both “a therapeutic act and a sometimes frustrating conversation.”

Painting for Michelle is “a compelling, non-verbal activity in pursuit of pure visual pleasure”. An interest in the relationships between colours and shapes is central to her practice.

The structural and fluid components of drawing are the starting point for Nan’s painting. “When I’m in studio, the act of painting accumulates with other subconscious matter and whatever floats in my periphery; it becomes a synthesis with the materiality of paint.” 

Suzanne’s paintings begin intuitively, in a moment of presence. She describes her practice as “a form of play, the canvas the playground. Mark-making responds to feeling as dance to music.”

Within Yvonne’s recent paintings, resonances of her past practice with stitch emerge, “there may be areas of raw calico appearing, pencil marks evident, bearing witness to a thought process - these marks bring the viewer in and allow a point of entry for consideration.”

The exhibition launches on Friday 20th February 6-9pm, and will be on display until 17th March. The opening night will take place in SEESAW's cafe gallery, and is free to enter. The bar will be open for the night, and the venue is fully accessible. Access is via the sliding doors on the cobbled street. The exhibition can then continue to be viewed within the cafe's opening hours, Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm.

SEESAW is an arts and culture venue and workspace located in 86 Princess Street, our aim is to connect with local artists to grow the creative scene in the North West. Photos may be taken at this event, if you would prefer not to be included in this content please contact Taome at events@seesawcreate.com. If you have any questions around accessibility, please contact Charlotte at hello@seesawspace.com.