Press Release
28 | 02 | 19
Force Majeure
Jesse Leroy Smith's first solo show in a decade
25 May to 23 June | Tremenheere Gallery and Sculpture Gardens, Cornwall
Jesse Leroy Smith at his Newlyn studio, 2018
Over the last decade, as an artist, collaborator and curator, Jesse Leroy Smith has been the driving force behind many of the South West's most important art shows, including events such as Darkrooms, a showcase of immersive film, sound and installations at CAST Arts Centre, West Cornwall: Suspended Sentences, an exhibition of experimental work in an abandoned Newlyn fish factory; ART 75, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of Penzance's iconic Art Deco Jubilee Pool with the work of 90 different artists; and Revolver, a six week, 60 artist project that exhibited a wealth of rising talent from Cornwall's art scene. Now, in his first solo show for a decade, Jesse presents Force Majeure, a landmark exhibition which looks back at his collaborative past, and towards a new phase of future work.
On show from late May at West Cornwall's spectacular Tremenheere Gallery and Sculpture Gardens, the show is described as a "confessional portrait", an exhibition which explores ten years of "upheaval and mayhem" and gives insight into the mind of one of Cornwall's most prolific and influential artists.
The exhibition begins on the gallery's ground floor with the artist's scrapbooks, which are filled with images of friends, family and heroes of film, music and literature, and then unfolds into an arcade of paintings, collages, photographs, films and books. On the second floor, an expansive series of paintings forms a processional journey through the space, culminating in a vast frieze that draws together a decade of influences and experiences.
With collaborations from artists Caleb and Sethe Smith, Paul Becker, Roger Thorp,Taap,Sam Bassett, Volker Stox, Bernard Irwin, Chris Priest, Richard Ballinger and many more,this show tracesthe many public projects and multi media events curated and devised by the artist, and explores the balance between his collaborative and individual expression.
Opening Preview
Friday 24thMay
5pm to 10pm
Including live music performances and speeches by the artist and fellow contributors
Exhibition Walk and Talk
Sunday 26thMay
3pm
With Jesse Leroy Smith and collaborators
Closing event
Friday 21stJune - Summer Solstice
Described as a "rampantsolsticecelebration" this event includes a tour through Tremenheere's Sculpture Gardens featuring soundscapes, film, performance and site-specific artworks, as well as talks, poetry readings and the "spoils from an earlier forage in the local woods".
Jesse Leroy Smith | Partisan - Blue Million Miles
See Force Majeure from 25 May to 23 June at Tremenheere Gallery, Tremenheere Sculpture Garden, Gulval, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8YL. All are welcome at the opening event on Friday 24 May, and at the Summer Solstice celebrations on Friday 21 June. Seewww.tremenheere.co.uk,www.jesseleroysmith.com and Instagram @Jesseleroy66 and@forcemajeure for details.
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Print Ready 300dpi images for press use:
Jesse at his Newlyn Studio 2018
Jesse Leroy Smith | Partisan Blue Million Miles
Editors Notes
JESSE LEROY SMITH
Jesse Leroy Smith lives in Newlyn and Brighton. He studied Fine Art at Norwich School of Art and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Painting at the Royal Academy Schools in London.He exhibits internationally at commercial and public galleries and art fairs, and travels widely for art residencies and research.
Most recently, in 2018 he took part in a studio swap with an artist at Agora Collective Berlin, andtoured Northern Europe showing collaborative films in art and music venues, concluding in a group show at the Martin Asbaek Gallery in Copenhagen. In 2016 he was awarded a major commission from Cornish Mining World Heritage Sites, to commemorate the area's mining legacy with a series of public performances and a suite of copper etchings. This highly acclaimed project then received funding from the Arts Council England for him to make ‘Assembly', 20 portraits on copper.
Over the last decade, Jesse Leroy Smith has initiated and curated numerous multimedia shows in disused and transitory spaces, by gathering together large groups of artists, performers, educators, experts, organisations and the public to collaborate on and re-imagine ‘art shows'. Projects includeUnstable Monuments, held in a wharf side factory in Truro, now an Arts Hub;Suspended Sentences,held in a disused Newlyn fish factory, now the Newlyn Filmhouse; he helped launch Helston's CAST Arts Centre with the immersiveDarkroomsexhibition, and commemorated the 75th anniversary of the iconicJubilee Pool lido in PenzancewithART 75, which included 90 artists showing works in 75 cubicles and in the water itself; with fellow artist Volker Stox, he curatedRevolver,heldin an ex-car-showroom inPenzance, whichprofiled a wealth of art practice and is profiled in the full-colour, 220 page hardback book REVOLVER ART CORNWALL, with supporting contributions from Falmouth University, Tate St Ives, Newlyn Art Gallery, and various commercial galleries and patrons; the exhibitionPRINT!, funded by the Heritage Lottery, at the Exchange Galleryin Penzance,was co-curated with artist Bernard Irwin, and brought students, graduates and established practitioners together in a historical survey of International printmaking.
Jesse continues to curate numerous shows, including the Falmouth University graduate showcase in London with critic Sacha Craddock. He also co ran the short lived but highly successful Bucca gallery in Newlyn, and leads the Mentoring Programme at Newlyn School of Art. for emerging artists across the country.
Seewww.jesseleroysmith.comand Instagram @Jesseleroy66 for details. Artist enquiries: contact Jesse Leroy Smith | Tel 07944 262727 | Emailmalvern@blue-earth.co.uk
TREMENHEERE SCULPTURE GARDENS
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens are located in West Cornwall in a beautiful, sheltered valley with dramatic views across Mounts Bay. The valley's Cornish woods and stream provide the perfect setting for large scale exotic and sub-tropical planting, and are the spectacular backdrop for a collection of inspiring sculptural artworks by internationally renowned artists. The gardens include a café and shop, and in addition a stunning, two floored glass and oak-framed art gallery opened onsite in January 2017.
Tremenheere Gallery, Tremenheere Sculpture Garden, Gulval, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8YL. Seewww.tremenheere.co.ukfor details. Gallery enquiries: contact Tom Heale | Tel 01736 448089 | tjheale@gmail.com
For further press information or additional images contact Mercedes Smith at Fine Art Communications director@fineartcommunications.co.uk / Tel 07825 270235 / www.fineartcommunications.co.uk
