It's been 5 years since I graduated from Art School and so far, although I have kept at being creative, most of my practice has involved curating a small gallery in a cafe bar and undertaking an MA in Visual Culture. I was given a wonderful opportunity (a year after graduating) to have a solo exhibition, being commissioned by the Nottingham (and now web based) group Tether to create some new work and exhibit. Back then I was known as Naomi Terry, I am now married and have decided to continue making art under my married name: Naomi Lake.
'So what do you actually like to make?' I hear you ask. Well, I am very interested in creating work that is accessible to all, as unpretentious and fun as possible, with layers of meaning that suit everyone, from those that are art educated to 5 year old children. After studying art at BA and MA degree level, I can safely say that there are some difficulties within the art world surrounding who art is for and what it is. From my perspective there seems to be too much art that is only understandable to a minute and select group of people, and quite frankly, to me, this seems ridiculous. After years of studying art, the aim of my art practice is to create work that is exciting, fun and interesting; art that taps into the imagination many adults lose as they develop from child into grown up, and feeds the imagination of those that are yet to (and hopefully won't) lose. I have a fascination with the boundaries between the imaginary and the real, and this is inherent to the way in which I make my art work.
There is something about having an object in front of you that makes it real. The tangible physical presence of something, somehow makes it more believable. But what happens when you know that the object in front of you is handmade? It plays with your mind, it is both believably real and not real, simultaneously. It is this exact concept that my work is about, finding the joy in the believable fantasy presented and frustration in the unbelievable fantasy presented. This blog is my way of documenting my art making and sharing my new work and ideas.
