"Tipping Point: Exploring the Balance of Power and Stress Points"
For this issue we asked artists from all disciplines to explore the complex interplay of power dynamics and stress points in our contemporary world. The theme, "Tipping Point," encouraged artists to delve into the delicate equilibrium between various forces and the critical moments when this balance becomes precarious.
We invited artists to explore and interpret the delicate equilibrium that exists in our modern world—examining the balance of power and the stress points that shape our society. This open call seeks to engage artists in a reflection on the nuanced dynamics between individuals, communities, and institutions, and to visualize the critical moments when this equilibrium might teeter on the edge of breakdown.
The theme revolves around the "Balance of Power and Stress Points." Artists are encouraged to delve into the multifaceted dimensions of power dynamics, societal tensions, and the precarious balance that holds everything together. Consider the forces at play, the sources of stress, and the pivotal moments that could potentially disrupt or redefine the existing equilibrium. Art has the power to capture and articulate the nuances of societal structures, interpersonal relationships, and the tension that arises from imbalances of power. This open call challenges artists to reflect on stress points within these power dynamics, exposing the fragility and potential for transformation.
Title: Tipping point
Artist: Paul Matosic
Instagram: @paulmatosic
Bio & context: I made this installation in 2010 at the Lightbox Woking. It is part of a long running series of found object installations . Most of the objects were collected from the streets of various urban areas and each rendition included the objects that were either donated by the visiting public or surreptitiously added during the exhibition. I always insisted that the installation process be available to the public to enable additions and casual chatter about the work. Although titled under the general name of Lost and Found this piece was given the additional title of tipping Point. The notion being that each object is individually fairly insignificant but when seen within the context of all the others such objects do have an impact. Tipping point within this context is an invitation to think about your own actions.
Title: Worth a Punt! (2018)
Artist: Vinay Hathi
Website: https://vinay.mozello.com
Instagram: @vinayhathi
Bio & context: Trained in packaging graphic design, learning from art I see. While returning from Ilford town centre, I encountered an individual who approached me desperately requesting 50p. I provided him with the money and observed as he hurriedly entered a Paddy Power to place a bet. Within a few minutes he reemerged, once again imploring passersby for 50p. This repetitive behaviour persisted for weeks, and it served as the inspiration behind this work.
Title: Eviscerate the ego; death by any other name; authority absconded; fight or flight
Artist: Marie Magnetic
Instagram: @marie_magnetic_art
Context: Eviscerate the ego- The planet is literally burning due to pollution, corporate greed, and systemic failure. Capitalism is destroying the earth. It is hard to feel any sense of purpose or well-being in a society where businesses have more rights than people. death by any other name- After dealing with relentless red tape in the healthcare industry, I was inspired to make "death by any other name". I have ADHD and have been clashing with my health insurance company every month for prescription refills, as they have decided to require prior authorization for this much-needed prescription. My anxiety only gets worse as I try to navigate a world in which neurodivergence is punished and seen as an affliction. Why are decisions about healthcare left to those with no medical training and knowledge? Authority absconded- We are at a turning point in our fight for human rights. The Chaos of "authority absconded" represents the chaos I experience as a 21st-century woman in America. It’s almost as if democracy is a laughing matter. Fight or flight- All people should have control of their bodies. When the right to self-determination, we must push back against the forces that be. We cannot fear indecision.
Title: Totem Geometries - BirthTotems
Artist: Philip Michael Wolfson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipmichaelwolfson/
CONTEXT: Totem Geometry is the overall subject idea behind a number of different series of works, within which are the BirthTotems, which also have relevance to the creation of the Totem Sculptures Series. BirthTotems stem from line and form examinations, concentrating on unfolding pathways and growth characteristics relevant to the development of the forms that exist around us. These compositions are based in the movement inherent in forms, and the balance of these forms as they interact one upon the other. Lines and the subsequent forms possess an innate organic quality and inherent sense of expectancy, motion and equilibrium.
Equally suggestive is the influence of proto-writing, Runic forms and the art of Chinese and Arabic calligraphy, where a visual symbolic imagery is cultivated.
Title: Past the tipping point to corruption
Artist: Adam Strange
Website: https://www.adamstrange.art
Instagram: @strangeideasart
Description: These images portray a time after the collapse of normalcy, reason and logic. We see the monuments we worship, the consequences of our collective actions from the point of view of “the witness.” We are past the point of clawing back compassion and collective consciousness to save any remnants. These are the fossilized remains of human values from the 21st century.
Title: Sheep-Walk 10 (A history of two women named Elizabeth)
Artist: Martin Fowler
Instagram: @prefabstories
Description: This short montage explores the interface of personal history and grand history through a juxtaposition of images of the Edinburgh council estate in which my widowed grandmother raised her three children and audio from a news report on the day-to-day life of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle. As such, the work connects to the theme in its highlighting of the tension, or stress point, between the lived experience of two institutions, namely the (Scottish) working-class family circa 1965 and the British monarchy.
Title: The Council’s Ruling
Artist: RUNA (aka Rute Norte)
Instagram: @rute_norte
The Council's Ruling (2023)
Acrylic on unstretched canvas
210 x 170 cm (82,6 x 67 inches)
In this painting I explore the conflict between power and resistance. I question submission to the authority of someone who exercises control over each person's destiny. Resistance to domination is a force inherent in human nature, and challenges the legitimacy of any form of domination.
Title: ከየት ነህ ይሉኛል( they ask me where I am from)
Artist: Lidiya Zelke
Instagram: @Lidiya_zelke
Description: Ethiopia, a nation rich in culture and history, finds itself at a critical juncture. The echoes of ethnic divisions threaten to drown out the harmonious melodies of its diverse traditions. As these children navigate a world marred by conflict, their innocence becomes a casualty of a larger, more insidious struggle. The artwork compels us to reflect on the tipping point of our collective humanity, urging us to recognize the urgent need for unity and reconciliation.
Title: Object Relations (acrylic on paper, 2023)
Artist name: Robin Clark
Website: https://www.robinclarkart.co.uk/
Instagram: @roxyhighroad
Context: Through domestic objects and clothing, this work subtly alludes to power dynamics in personal and intimate relationships. As is common in the artist’s work, objects indicate the presence of people, despite their absence. Textures and materials allude to lust, romance and tension, the denim jeans limp over the rigidity of the chair suggest a yielding of power by one person to another.
Title: All things will die
Artist name: Mils Bridgewater
Instagram: @mils_bridgewater
Description: Our rivers and wildlife are at a tipping point but can we give up cheap chicken now for the sake of our future? “All things will die” after the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson tells the story of the £3 chicken grown in mega farms that pollute local rivers, killing the bugs and then the birds that feed on the bugs. An empty glass nest represents the fragility of future as it sits in a pile of twigs, chicken bones and black and white porcelain bones.
Title: BALANCE 3.6.9.
Artist name: Christie
Instagram: @5_christie_5_angel_vibes_5
Context: BALANCE 3.6.9. Searching for order out of chaos. PLASTIC PARADISE Destruction of ocean life catalyst. ARMADA. Defining moment of WIN/LOSE. VENICE FLOODS for the last time.
Title: Momentum
Artist: Susan Williams
Website: www.susanwilliamsart.com
Instagram: @susanwilliamsart
Description: The presence of the missing people is strong with the shoes marching with determination, an unstoppable group of people with a mission, calling to mind the many recent marches/demonstrations over ongoing wars, social injustices and economic burdens. The work raises the question of what motivated this behaviour and what will happen when this group arrive that can be seen as tipping points past and future. The work reflects my ongoing sorrow as I listen to the news with a sense of helplessness but now determined to mark some of the worrying issues, global warming, social injustice and war crimes, in my work.
Title: Perseus with the Head of Barbie’ (mixed media assemblage, 2023)
Instagram: @mr_marc_butler
Description: This is a 21st century re-telling of Benvenuto Cellini’s statue depicting Perseus beheading Medusa (which currently resides in Florence, rubbing shoulders but a stones-throw away from the infinitely more famous statue of ‘David’). This is the first of a trilogy of pieces inspired by the Florentine ‘Perseus with the Head of Medusa’. In this rendition, Perseus has been replaced with a neon spray painted pink lady, and Medusa with the head of a Barbie doll. ‘Perseus’ has clearly been pushed to the edge in emphatic style- quite what Barbie did, we are free to guess, but to behead someone with a knife from the kitchen drawer (as appears the case here) suggests something rather serious. Though the matter-of-fact nature of the scene suggests this might not be the first time this has happened? Despite this, the severed head, with bloodied entrails dangling, remains smiling- clearly unfazed by the whole debacle.
Title: Ffynnon Antwn Sant (Saint Anthony’s Well)
Artist: Victoria Goddard
Website: instagram.com/the.other.victoria
instagram.com/the.other.victoria
Bio & context: I feel bad when the balance of desire tips towards solitude. But the relief is physical. This is oxygen to me. Water and light and oxygen.
