ABOUT A GIRL – BEX MASSEY

bex designs, makes furniture and public art and works for a design firm in south london called based upon. her professional practice stems from an overlty figurative use of graphite and oils. bex gave us an insight into her work as an artist.

hi bex, you're an artist in southern london. please tell us a bit about your artwork and where you get your inspiration from.

my work is based on current affairs, social issues and the way in which they are documented in the media. at present we are bombarded with so much unfiltered information that crucial issues are often overlooked. likewise, we view such a plethora of depressing imagery and shock tactic headlines that we have become almost dehumanised to an individual's tragedy.  with such a volume of statistics and crude data being continuously thrown at us – is it just easier to overlook the harsh reality of the facts? too frequently are we told what to think, feel and do.  i therefore try to pose questions to viewers, and offer a platform for them to readdress this through the use of ambiguity and omission. i enjoy obscuring what the audience would "normally" view as the salient part of a scenario or scene.  likewise, i leave areas unfinished, blurred or blank for the audience to fill in themselves.  this shift in structure and emphasis often leads to a sense of unrest within my pieces, and a distinct feeling that there are much more sinister undertones lurking beneath the surface.

in what way would you describe your connection to art?

my connection with art was instilled at  an early age.  my parents are both architects and i have been very fortunate to have been taken to many international galleries, been surrounded with support and great feedback and discourse about critical theory and art history.  after my degree it was a bit of a struggle to maintain jobs and keep the drive to continue making and exhibitng my own work due to time restraints.  i was lucky enough to be signed by an east end vyner street gallery at the beginning of this year, so all those late nights and isolating studio moments seem to be finally paying off. it is because of this awareness about how though it is for aspiring artists that ellie green and myself set up VV. VV is our collective and is the title that we exhibit duo shows, zines, art reviews etc. what we are trying to concentrate on at the moment is creating a platform for other female artists. we are in the process of cultivating a broad contact base to create a skill sharing network. we aim on setting up a frame work in which women artists will find it easier to create, exhibit and publicise. in short giving them all the aids we wish we had when we started our professional practice.

are there any exhibitions in the near future we can look foward to?

i  formulate two future exhibitons next year: duo show march/april with my art collective partner ellie green, and the launch of our collective VV.  As well as a solo show towards the end of the year.

we can't wait to visit your exhibition!