Royal College of Art alumni Adam Bridgland is a Cambridge based artist who creates bold and playful, yet nostalgic works which often explore notions of Britishness and times gone by.
Bridgland's multidisciplinary practice ranges from small scale badges to large-scale murals and public artworks, with affection and humour being a common thread throughout. He has exhibited widely both in the UK and internationally and has work in public and private collections, including some notable commissions.
Adam has kindly created some striking and uplifting postcards for Art on a Postcard's upcoming exhibition at the Moniker Art Fair in October, and also includes a couple of stunning creations made with regular collaborative partner Danny Augustine.
To see all the Moniker Artwork click HERE
Can you please tell us a little about what you do as an artist?
My life as an artist is split in to three; my own practice, my work as Augustine and Bridgland and finally my role as Jealous Print Studio manager in Shoreditch. Since graduating in 2006 from the RCA I have juggled these as they continue to grow. I think that each element informs the other. For example, working at Jealous exposes me to wonderful art and artists on a daily basis and this in turn feeds in to my own practice. I am currently working towards a solo exhibition with Curwen Gallery next February so much of my focus is making new works for launch there.
As a multidisciplinary artist, how do you arrive at the medium which will materialise your ideas?
I have never tried to pigeonhole myself as an artist. I trained in print but I would not call myself a printmaker. I am an artist and although I do use print throughout my practice some projects require other materials. Decisions are based on various factors that come with each new project such as the brief and often budget. I have always been interested in transcending mediums like print, sculpture, painting and photography. I think that each one should inform the other and new work should grow out of this. This is when new, interesting pieces start to take shape.
Can you tell us about the pieces you have created for Art on a Postcard?
The piece I have created for Art on a Postcard is called ‘Dance! Dance!’ It is part of a larger body of work I am currently working on about the language of dance and the fact it is completely alien to me. I have never been able to dance, I don’t have the rhythm and coordination, and my body feels awkward, so people that can fascinate me. It is a communicator; dance is a way of being at the party, rather than watching from the outside. The image on the postcard is to be created a large-scale mural in Dalston, London in October for a group called We Are Animals. The two collaborative works with Danny Augustine are works from a recent studio session we completed for new commission in London.
You also collaborate with artist Danny Augustine creating beautiful, dynamic prints painted directly onto the screen-printing mesh. How did this collaboration come about?
The collaboration came after my solo exhibition at the Poetry Society in 2014. Danny liked the texts in my work and the original idea was that he would paint and I would add words. However, these first works were not successful and we quickly decided to paint together in Jealous Print Studio. That just seemed to work, our styles complimenting each other. Since then we haven’t looked back, enjoying three sell out exhibitions with Jealous and are now looking forward to completing a number of private commissions this Autumn.
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Augustine & Bridgland |
Augustine & Bridgland |
What are the inspirations behind your collaborative work?
The works are large-scale mono prints exploring themes of lust and love, created by painting directly on to the screen print mesh before printing. We are both interested by the symbolism and meanings attached to flowers. Like dance they bring joy and again are a communicator of human emotions.
How can people find out more about what you do and where can they see your work?
You can see a more of my work with TAG Fine Arts, London. My collaborative work as Augustine and Bridgland can be viewed at Jealous Gallery, London. You can also visit my website adambridgland.co.uk, or for daily musings my instagram adam_bridgland.