Wednesday 10 April 2024
Talk | English | 18:00
This talk will explore the life and work of the British artist, writer and occultist Ithell Colquhoun (1906–88) and the encounters and experiences that shaped her artistic practice – from her involvement with the British Surrealist group and interaction with key figures and artists further afield to her increasing involvement with esotericism. Colquhoun travelled to Cyprus in the summer of 1951 to visit her longtime friend Elektra Megaw and husband Peter (the then Director of the Department of Antiquities). Researcher Jacqui McIntosh will discuss the relevance of this trip in relation to Colquhoun’s art, poetry, and enduring fascination with the Divine Feminine.
BIO
Jacqui McIntosh is a researcher, curator and writer based in London. Over the past year, her research has been supported by a Curatorial Research Grant from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, resulting in the exhibition The Time of Our Lives at Drawing Room (2024). The exhibition looks at the importance of drawing to feminist artists from the 1980s to today. Over the past two decades Jacqui has curated numerous exhibitions in the UK and Ireland. She has worked at Drawing Room in London since 2011, contributing to the understanding of the medium of drawing through exhibitions management, programming of events, research and curation. Independently, her current research areas include thecentrality of drawing and working on paper to British artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun. Jacqui’s writing has appeared in newspapers, art publications and catalogue essays for galleries and artists. She also has her own artistic practice, working predominantly in drawing, print and collage.
Image credit:
Ithell Colquhoun
Photo: Hugo van Wadenoyen 1936