ARTISTS TALKING

My first experience of Martin Hamblen, the curator of ‘Safer with strangers’, was of a suited, big-haired and slightly sinister figure standing in the corner of a Coca-Cola red fence.

This was a performance in May 2006, during his solo exhibition ‘Education, Education, Education’, and I remember the experience as one of eagerness and expectation. Hamblen was the first artist to exhibit in the brand-new PAD gallery in Preston and his work – provocative, political and difficult – offered a glimpse of the possibilities for experimentation and debate that the gallery promised to artists in a city where spaces for showing work and meeting other artists are limited.

Two years on it seems both ironic and fitting that Hamblen’s latest show, ‘Safer with Strangers’ is the final one before PAD closes its doors and relocates to a new venue in the city centre. The intervening period between the two exhibitions has not only seen developments in Hamblen’s practice, but significant changes for PAD and ‘Safer with Strangers’ is a timely show which raises questions about the future and direction of PAD in particular and the Preston art scene in general.

The show, which features work by artists Alex Baggaley, Maryjane Chapman, Rachel Lowther, Mike Russell and Fritz Welch, developed from a conversation between Hamblen and Baggaley who, after fifteen years in London, was planning to move back to Blackpool. Hamblen wanted to explore the reality of being a practising artist in a small place; how the lure of the big city seduces many emerging artists and what such migration means for those left behind. Each artist has, at some point, made a conscious decision to move from a small to a large place or, interestingly, vice versa and collectively they have lived in London, Preston, Blackpool, Birmingham and New York.

In the accompanying blurb, the show promises to “compare and contrast” the practice of local, national and international artists. In reality it is less academic and more affecting. Instead, the exhibition explores the dreams and frustrations which, whether based in Preston or Paris, are surely familiar to every artist, and it is impossible not to relate to some aspect of the show; Blackpool-based Chapman’s exquisite and worryingly obsessive drawings suggest spatial limitations, the ramshackle replica of Baggaley’s ‘bedroom’ from the shared London studio where he lived and worked exposes the tensions between collective creativity and personal space; and Russell’s weird characters and sculptural dreamscapes form a world in which the artist can escape the increasing cynicism of his own commercial success.

Hamblen’s curatorial approach was to invite the artists to work in the gallery over five days, in the faith that “it would all come together somehow”. This was a brave decision, but perhaps also a coping strategy for Hamblen, for whom curating was a new experience. The artist initially resisted the title, ‘curator’ as he “didn’t want to edit or control the artists”, only accepting it after discovering the dictionary definition; “to oversee or look after”. He oversaw what Welch described as a “mash up”; where the artists worked, ate and in some instances slept in the gallery. This intense experience is evident in physical and conceptual crossovers between the works, and the sheer energy of the show which, unlike previous exhibitions in PAD, explodes out of the designated exhibition space, subverting the architecture and, most exciting of all, invading the shop which occupies half the venue.

The artist accepts that this freedom was partly permitted by the building’s imminent closure: “When I had my first show I wanted to paint the walls red but wasn’t allowed. Now, because it was the last show, we did what we wanted.” Yet, the experimental nature of ‘Safer with Strangers’ was also a conscious response to what Hamblen perceives as the apathy of many Lancashire artists toward the opportunities for experimentation and creativity offered to them by the gallery.

PAD is run by Preston City Council and was set up to provide emerging artists and crafts people in Lancashire with a space to exhibit and sell work. Whilst the shop is run by Council employees, the gallery is programmed by a steering group made up of artists, representing a cross-section of the Lancashire art community, who select proposals sent in by regional practitioners.

As a member of the steering group for six months, Hamblen found himself continually disappointed and frustrated by the proposals he received; “A lot didn’t have that ‘get up and go’. There was no enthusiasm, no ‘Yeah, yeah, fantastic – I’ve got this great chance to do something new!’ There weren’t really any proposals where you thought ‘Great – this is what we should be doing!’ There was very little thought about the way that the space could be used; most people just saw it as somewhere to hang their paintings.’’

Hamblen views such attitudes as indicative of a small place where, unlike large cities such as London, artists are less exposed to new ideas and diverse types of practice, and as a result can sometimes develop a narrow approach to their own creativity. Nevertheless, he is optimistic about the opportunities available in smaller places and emphasises the role that artists can play in developing their own cultural landscapes; “Artists in smaller places aren’t up against the same amount of competition as those in big cities and so it can be easier for them to access opportunities. But it’s up to them to make the most of what’s there. Whether being an artist in a small town is a good experience or not really comes down to artists’ will to do things and make things happen.”

Hamblen has certainly made things happen. ‘Safer with Strangers’ has been accompanied by a public discussion and a professional development talk for Fine Art students and, following an opening which included performances by Hamblen, Baggaley and Welch, the artist carried a placard around the city, initiating debate and encouraging new visitors to the show.

Despite its close proximity to the city centre, one factor in PAD’s move has been its failure to attract large and diverse audiences. Whilst ‘Safer with Strangers’ generated enough interest to ensure a packed opening, many private views have been badly attended, with students from the local Fine Art course and many locally based artists failing to show their support. For Hamblen, the creation of a critical mass of people who are enthusiastic about seeing and making challenging art is critical to the success and sustainability of both the gallery and the local art scene as a whole: “It’s the idea of a magnetic mass³There has to be something to retain people. If there isn’t somewhere to exhibit or, more importantly, if there isn’t an arts community people aren’t going to stay.”

Whilst venues such as PAD are vital, the development of a dynamic creative community can only be fully achieved through the enthusiasm and dedication of locally based artists such as Hamblen, and the increase of artist-led initiatives and inspiring shows such as ‘Safer with Strangers’. So, is Hamblen planning to stay in Preston, or is he secretly drawn to the bright lights of the big city? “No, I’m not moving any time soon. I’ve thought about it, but I’ve got an allotment now.”