Portfolio Trail
The New Art Gallery Walsall
oct 09-oct 10

Established by the artists Deborah Curtis and Gavin Turk,The House Of Fairy Tales is a child-centred artist led project which draws on an extensive team of artists, performers, writers, educationalists, designers, musicians, film makers, dreamers and philosophers to create magical, parallel worlds where learning is play and play is directed learning.
Operating across a number of formats from workshops, publishing, advocacy and education packs and an annual summer festival planned for 2010, The House Of Fairy Tales is about making education inclusive, inventive and fun.The House Of Fairy Tales

The brief for this event at the Walsall Art Gallery was to make an image inspired by Fairy Tales, Folktales, Myth and Legend

Rachel Whiteread-Story Time, lythography

Dexter Dalwood-Cinderella, Lythography
With the look of a film poster, Dalwood shows us the journey Cinderella could take from the oppression of her childhood to the opulence of ‘above stairs’ and the futility there in.

Cornellia Parker-The Blue room, Lithograph
Sometimes the simplicity of an image can produce the most fear, as a face stares out from the dark.

Matt Collishaw-Duty Free spirits, Platinum Photography
This is a reproduction of Colloshaws early Fairies series. The fairies here morn the death of ‘Cock Robin’. The fairies themeselves, on closer inspection, are ‘just’ children in altered scale. An uneasy beauty.

This is a project that has been going for some time, and I realise that I am late coming to it. The House Of fairy Tales, from the website, looks like a useful and successful interaction between art, children and learning in all creative forms. The Exhibit at the New Walsall Art Gallery was at first bewildering in its curration, among the main/permanent works on display, until I found the fun in a treasure hunt. Interesting small creations are dotted around the gallery rooms. As a guide there is a helpful map with information and a quiz for children to play, which of course I didnt refer to (even though I should of to avoid missing works) but instead went from room to room feeling very pleased with myself when I found a House Of Fairy Tales piece (sometimes its the simple things in life that please me). Nor did I pay close attention to the entire list of Artists taking part, creating another layer of surprise as to who I would find-getting into the spirit of things you see.

And there were indeed some beautifully pleasant surprises scattered within the permanent display, which sadly feels ever so slightly stuffy. Twenty three Artists have submitted work with the Fairy Tale theme and while some of them, like Paula Rego, are well versed in this subject matter, others were less so and so viewing these was a little like glimpsing into a deeper chasm of the Artists imagination, more private perhaps.

I certainly recommend it. There is a list of the participating Artists bellow, but dont read them if you want to go. Its more fun that way.

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Fiona Banner, Simon Bill, Sir Peter Blake, Ellen Cantor, Spartacus Chetwynd, Mat Collishaw, Dexter Dalwood, Adam Dant, Enrico David, Jeremy Deller & Alan Kane, Simon English, Georgie Hopton, Harland Miller, Cornelia Parker, Simon Periton, Paula Rego, Jane Simpson, Bob and Roberta Smith, Kiki Smith, Gavin Turk, Francis Upritchard, Rachel Whiteread.