George Richardson

George's Instagram: @george_richardson

How and when did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I’ve probably always wanted to be an artist and for as long as I can remember I

have loved to re-think and re-imagine things in the world around us. Making art gives me a sense of purpose that is hard to describe. There are so many easier ways to make a living, and when I’m carrying heavy objects and countless bags full of materials on busy trains or busses to and from the studio I’ll often question this mad pursuit I’m on. That said, I think doubt is an important part

of my work and looking for solutions rather than answers is often productive for

me. I also find it interesting how and when each artist allows ourselves the job title as an ‘artist’ as most of us live hybrid lives. I’ve worked so many part-time jobs, mini careers and professions over the past few years to progress my art and It’s only the past year since finishing my MA that I have begun to describe myself as an artist. I think it is important to separate the idea of being an artist from ideas of a career as well. So many people are artists and would never allow themselves this title due to their job title. I like to think that I will always be an artist, whether I am actively making or not as this is something that is essential to my being and to how I understand the world.

What was your experience of art school?

My experience of art school was highly formative. I studied my BA in Fine Art at

Central St Martins, which challenged everything I thought about art. Studying here got caught short as I graduated during covid but thankfully I got to do my

exchange in New York before that. When I left London to study in New York I was scared to be open with myself or others in my work but within a few weeks of studying in America, I was making performance videos relating to my family heritage and video works about the mascot of my childhood football team, Cheltenham Town FC. It was the first time I’d ever lived outside of England and I learnt who I was alone. My eyes had been opened and I worked so intensely for my entire time there.

A couple of years later I started my MA in Sculpture at the Slade. Those were two of the happiest, most challenging and inspiring years of my life. I learnt what it meant to build an art ‘practice’ at the Slade, to create a body of work that is connected by a consistent way of thinking rather than through one

aesthetic language with the work. I had incredible tutors and friends who challenged and encouraged me to find solutions through the process of making. For my degree show, I was finally granted permission after months of requests to turn a forgotten storage area behind my exhibition space into a corridor installation work called ‘Closing Time’. It was perfect because I had one clean space with singular objects and a second immersive environment where nothing began or ended - thinking about liminal / domestic spaces has been the crux of my research for this past year.

Can you tell us more about the ideas and inspiration behind your work?

My sculpture and painting practice is a continual ‘making-sense-of’. I often bend, exaggerate or change the material or form of a familiar object to create a sense of distance between the object and the reference point. By presenting familiar objects altered to distance them from their cultural and personal reference points, these transformations attempt to capture the liminal

spaces inhabited by the body through the material objects held in collective

muscle memory.

Are there other artists or movements that have inspired your work?

It is so hard to choose just one, so here is a list of my all-time favs:

David Hammons, Rachel Whiteread, Buster Keaton, Joseph Beuys, Hilma af

Klint, Francis Alys Anne Truitt, Bruce Nauman, Agnes Varda, Auguste Rodin,

Brancusi, Sarah Lucas, Helen Martin, Caravaggio, Jesse Darling, Simeon

Barclay, Martin Creed, Sonia Boyce, Robert Grosvener, Roman Singer, Doris

Salcedo, Mark Wallinger - Emma Hart, Mark Lecky, Donna Haraway,

Francisco Goya, Paul Cezanne, Barry Flanagan, Manfred Pernice, Vlatka

Horvat

Can you describe a typical day in the studio? How do you approach your work?

A typical day in the studio usually starts at around 10-11am as I love a slow

morning and a bit of time to see in the day. Once I arrive at the studio things first is always a cup of tea to start the day, usually or hopefully with one of my studio mates at Sarabande Foundation (the residency I am currently on). Coming from a northern family, tea and biscuits have been an important part of my routine for as long as I can remember. This first brew often gives me a chance to plan my day a bit as well, to go through my to-do lists and to settle into the studio and also to have a look at what I'm working on. I try to get any emails / admin done as early as possible so that I’m less distracted later on. If I’m having a studio visit that day or someone visiting I’ll often ask them to meet for lunch, so we can share some food and talk properly before I have hit my social battery limit for the day. 

The afternoon and early evening is when I’ll do most of my practical work, getting tasks done, usually listening to my studio playlist mainly comprised of Richard Hawley, Norah Jones and Fred Neil albums,

I love to work late and between 6pm-11pm is usually my favourite time in the

studio. After this time most of the days eating, talking, organising etc is done and I feel much more relaxed to work and to think clearly.