By KATIE DODD

 

Outside In is a charity that aims to provide a platform for artists who face significant barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance or isolation. This exhibition, Taking Flight, will be hosted in Paradise Row, a not-for-profit gallery founded by Nick Hackworth, that aims to showcase cultural projects, highlighting urgent social and environmental needs and causes. Taking Flight will bring these two organisations together, highlighting Outside In’s Step Up curating programme, undertaken by Corinne, which is designed to support artists to gain the skills needed to find employment, self-employment, or volunteering opportunities in the arts.

Taking Flight brings the together the work of nine Outside In artists, sourced from the permanent collection owned by Outside In. Corinne selected artworks that focused on fantastical, often winged creatures inhabiting magical places she’d like to visit.

“I am bed-bound and suffer from chronic pain,” says Corinne. “As the mobility in my legs decreases, I have developed an obsession with wings. To me birds symbolise freedom and Outside In gives me the freedom to be myself. They show their artists that, despite our barriers, there is a place for us in the art world. They help us grow our wings and support us as our hopes, dreams and careers take flight.”

Peter Cutts’ work spirits us away to a wonderful world of flying creatures.

Peter Cutts, ‘Untitled’, pen and paint on canvas

Chaz Waldren’s colourful All Creatures Great and Small shows us a wondrous sky, every inch of which is filled with birds:

Chaz Waldren, ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, coloured pen on paper

Laila Kassab’s drawings seem to provide a safe haven for birds to drink and fish to swim:

Laila Kassab, ‘Cruelty but Hope’, pencil on paper

The exhibition runs from 16th – 22nd May 2022. Cerno Capital was delighted to host two events in the gallery during the course of the exhibition, a drinks reception and a private dinner. On both evenings, we were joined Charles Rolls, Chairman of Outside In, Marc Steene, Director of Outside In, and Nick Hackworth, Founder of Paradise Row Gallery, discussed the social impact of their work. A gallery of photos from the event can be seen here.

If you would like to find out more about Outside In, please refer to the charity’s website https://outsidein.org.uk/

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