Introducing

Alice Kell

So about a week or so ago I got to meet Alice Kell who popped round for a chat and to discuss her up-coming exhibition as the headlining artist of our Designer Open House & Mini Arts Trail. I saw her work exhibited in an empty retail space on the Derby high-street  a few years ago and never forgot it, so I was very chuffed when one day on Facebook she pops up as someone I might know. I didn't know her but as I was looking for someone new to fill some space on the Crooked House walls I decided to send her a message and a few weeks later on a sunny afternoon she was knocking on our door.

Suddenly I'm aware that I am feeling a little shy as she looks to me to lead the way so thankfully Megan shows up to break the ice, we discuss her art and show her the house I am pleased to find her to be approachable and candid. She tells us about her three main areas of focus; politics, beauty and lesbian art the latter of which intrigues me. Perhaps, like me you wonder what that entails? Well it seems for Alice it involves watching lesbian pornography trying to find 'moments of beauty' which she then interprets into line-drawings. I like this, while I'll happily admit it's the beauty that attracts me to her work, I enjoy her subversive edge and though I'm no art aficionado I am relieved to see she is not overly pretentious, she shares my dislike of artistic elitism and I think her work reflects this. So I'm very pleased to introduce Alice Kell, who also sent us this interview with Marley Butler creator of the artists' collective Naplew Productions, enjoy!