The Farm Pub as an Art Space.
The city of Bristol is a city full of artists and every year has a variety of exhibitions and Art trails. This year we are opening up the walls of the pub for local artists to exhibit and sell their work. Below are details of who is showing off their work and when! LOOK OUT FOR THE RAT!
Ames Oner 27.11-01.01
In his own words---
'I guess I've been putting colour up round Bristol & the South West for years as well as traveling as much as possible to paint places such as Italy, Czech Republic & Lisbon. From my travels I've broadened my views further than just graffiti pieces but I still feel that the elements of graffiti are important in the work I produce. I paint various things such as flowers, characters & type.'
John Marshall 'Nebulae' 25.10-26.11
Bug & Bones 25.09-24.10
Fiona Harron- Bespoke Mirrors. 25.08-24.09
Her illustrations now decorate a colection of one off items. These items include Fair Trade Organic Cotton Bags & T-Shirts, individual decoupage clocks, hand printed mirrors, fabric by the metre and leather hand made purses. These items can be purchased directly from www.allotment88.co.uk
From August 25th 2009 Fiona Harron will have a one woman show @ The Farm, with a range of mirrors, bags and t-shirts, ranging from £20-£190, there is something for everyone. Individual ond bespoke items are avaliable to order- 01225489060
Victoria Anderson-Exhibition opens 10.07
ScreenPrints- J. J. Lynch & Bug
Sam Wren- Nature
Sam Wren's showcase will hit our walls on Friday 10th April. His bright and vibrant work will undoubtedly hurry on the Summer which now seems so close! Here's a few words from the artist himelf:
Acrylic paint seems to have the boldest and brightest colours, and if built up enough, the most opaque. That is why I chose them for my nature theme. It was the darkest depths of winter, and not a nice one either, (Im sure many would agree) and I needed cheering up so I went for it. I used just random bits of plywood for canvass because I was skint, which turned out to fit with the organic theme anyway.
Yes, it worked, in the space of just a few days and a couple of paintings, I came from the abyss of depression to something like a hyperactive child high on sweets. Wow! what a buzz! Who needs expensive stimulants when this comes for free? I havent looked back and Im now doing my painting full time.
I hope people eating and drinking in the farm enjoy the paintings as much as I did painting them, and if so they can look forward to seeing some more around Bristol at some up and coming exhibitions, where I hope to take the themes also into realms of fantasy, mythology, anthropology and religion.
If anybody would like to contact me about any of these paintings (original or prints), or they have an idea they would like me to bring into reality (ie vehicle painting (spray cans, airbrush) walls (exterior, interior (kids rooms)) or other) then please give me a call to negotoiate a commission. 07971 776 581
Matthew Smith- Underground England
Bristol based photographer Matthew Smith will be showing images from his body of work Underground England at The Farm Pub in St Werburghs from Fri 6 March. The shows opening night at the Farm on Friday the 6th of March will feature musical entertainement from Duvet Vous Djs, Buoyancy’s Big Little Tom, Arthur Needlefluff, Jen Jen, Shaded and Bristol’s newest musical legend Jimmy the Fingers…For many years the Farm pub was central to the west country free party scene providing both rendez vous and finishing point with its legendary Sunday night DJ Derek sessions with making it an ideal location to show work of this kind.
Made during the years when he was involved in the DIY culture of the eighties and nineties; Smith documented the traveller/raver/eco-protest alliance that coalesced out of the wide spread discontent with the Conservative policies of the time as they took the country into last great recession making his work especially relevant now as we slide ever deeper into similar oppressive cultural times, this time led by a decade old Labour regime.
Along with a group of fellow art college graduates he was part a West Country sound system/direct action collective called Sunnyside, who played a frontline role in the campaign of opposition to the 1994 Criminal Justice Act. They took their rig on the anti CJA marches in London playing in Trafalgar Square and outside Parliament, organized free parties and festivals across the country, took part in tours to promote the civil liberties implications of the legislation, and provided free fundraising entertainment to the eco protests of that era.
Underground England documents that alternative democracy, cultural involvement and political conviction before Matt went on to work across the spectrum of commercial dance music and festivals as they assimilated into the mainstream and became an industry; working nationally and internationally for publications like The Face, DJ, Mixmag, Ministry and Musik, also shooting picture publicity for BBC Radio 1.
Images from the work have been gallery exhibited and published in many different ways, from book, record and magazine covers, to social history projects for Channel4. Most recently images from this work were included in Dreweatts the fine arts auctioneers Artcore show of imagery from 20 years of Rave Culture at Selfridges in London alongside artists like Jamie Reid and Peter Saville; and Portraits of Adventure, a show and book project of 60 iconic images commissioned by Landrover to celebrate their 60th anniversary, alongside Magnum photographers such as Martin Parr, Marc Riboud and George Rodger.
Matt is one of the founding photographers behind the PYMCA agency and is represented in London by Jon Swinstead at www.pymca.com.



































