Connecting with childhood memories

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The current fascinating exhibition at Rye Art Gallery, Timely Connections, is being extended until November 10 with a curatorial walk and talk tour of the exhibition with the artists, David Crew and Tony Bennett, on Saturday, November 2 at 2:30pm.

Memories, stories and how they slip into the present from the past link the work of both David Crew and ceramicist Tony Bennett (see Rye News Art with Stories to Tell).

The story behind the work of David Crew, in particular his search to find out more about the German artist Mathias Hess, whose work he saw in his grandparents’ house in St Leonards as a child, is a remarkable one  (see Rye News Timely Connections: Finding Mathias)

Tony Bennett is fascinated with the struggle between our animal origin, with what it means to be human and the increasing codification of all areas of our lives, not least with the growth of AI and the possible threat AI might pose to humans in the future.

Apeman by Tony Bennett

His work contains recurring symbolic elements: the snake, an ancient symbol of the life force; the monkey, symbolising our animal inheritance, a chaotic and mischievous life force; the coda, symbol of our intellectual life force, reasoning and abstract thinking; the head, the arena in which these three struggle for control; the mask where containment is attempted; and camouflage, the ability to hide in plain sight.

Tank by Tony Bennett

For Dr Julian Day, director of Rye Art Gallery, visitors have responded to Tony’s playful depictions of toys and figures. “Toys and play are always ever-present in his artworks, his own toys essentially reimagined as part of his DNA. It’s been so interesting with our visitors in a certain age group – who recognize some memory that is conjured up by those toys it is the huge part they played in our childhood memories that stay with us forever.”

The Toy Tankman by Tony Bennett

Tickets for the curatorial talk on November 2 at 2:30pm are available at reception or via email, costing £10 including refreshments.

Image Credits: Rye Art Gallery .

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