This weekend is the last chance to catch Tainted Love at Down Stairs gallery, Herefordshire. Open Fri-Sun 12-5pm there are also two more exhibitions to enjoy, beautiful grounds and sculpture park, chickens and ducks.

Tainted Love was an idea that emerged from a chat in October 2011 between myself, Cathy Lomax and Alli Sharma about painting, obsessional love and what it is to be a fan.

The first exhibition in the Tainted Love tour was at Transition gallery London in May 2012, then on to Meter Room, Coventry during June and July and finally at Down Stairs gallery from September - November.

This project has been a huge team effort from artists, galleries, writers, Visitors, friends, photographers, family and technicians. From the very start all of these people have offered support, advice, enthusiasm and patience while I navigated a really exciting year and my first time organising an exhibition and for that I am very grateful. Thank you.

If you were unable to catch the Tainted Love tour you can read all about the themes underpinning the show and the artists and writers involved in Arty 31: Tainted Love and get up close to Cathy Lomax's '16 Most Beautiful Men (in profile)' in the zine of the same name.

NEW: The Tainted Love artists are delighted to have worked with writer Zoe Pilger and photographer Sarah Cleaver to produce a catalogue and essay about the touring show which will be available to download here and view here.

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Tainted Love has been Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England & Coventry City Council Small Arts Grant.

The Tainted Love artists chose their Tainted Love song..............
Tainted Love continues at Down Stairs gallery until Sunday 18th November 2012

I will be at Down Stairs gallery with Tainted Love on Saturday 27th October from 12 - 5pm to chat to visitors and answer any questions about the Tainted love project, artists, work, funding applications and more. With beautiful grounds, a sculpture garden and two other exhibitions to take in, it's a lovely day out in the country.

Tainted Love continues at Down Stairs gallery Herefordshire until Sunday 18 November 2012
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Tainted Love has launched for the third and final time: Down Stairs Gallery, Great Brampton House, Herefordshire is a beautiful setting and with two other shows  - The Stone of Folly and Space  the preview evening was a huge success. I got the chance to talk to lots of people about Tainted Love and share experiences with our fellow exhibiting artists. You can see photographs from the opening evening and the final install on my Flickr here.

Tainted Love continues at Down Stairs Gallery until 18th November. I will be posting dates for curator days on this blog soon. Theses are days when I will be available in the gallery to chat to visitors about the Tainted Love art & artists as well as answer questions about how the show came together.

Special thanks to Craig Barnes, Dmitri Galitzine and The Miller Family for their support and generosity throughout the final stage of the Tainted Love project.
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Yesterday I installed Tainted Love at Downstairs gallery. The last install of the Tainted Love show and definitely bitter sweet but lots of fun. This third venue has had its own individual impact on the work, just as the previous two have. The Gallery is lovely and the grounds beautiful.

I also had a brief introduction to the resident chickens. Gosh they are big. However they are also jolly friendly.

Tainted Love Previews on Saturday 29 September, 6-9pm,  at Downstairs Gallery, Herefordshire. Two other exhibitions are also previewing - Emily Fryer and The Stone Folly. And of course, all are very welcome.

I was pleased to be invited along to one of the recent and regular crit group at Meter Room, Coventry, as the host of the second showing of  Tainted Love and having got to know a few of the new studio holders during the show I was keen to go along and find out what the artists were working on as well as talk some more about Tainted Love and how it all came about, in particular the ACE & Coventry City Council funding that has been so critical in the realization and smooth running of the touring show.

With a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and discussions lead by Dan Pryd-Jarman (Director of Meter Room) the afternoon was full of humour, ideas and insight into the work of recent Coventry University, School of Art graduates. I was grateful to be asked to be part of it.

While there I wanted to talk a bit about Tainted Love too, why it came to the Meter Room and my (first time) experiences of applying for funding. There were a couple of artists in the group currently applying for funding as well as a couple who have been successful applicants. I think I was keen to express how important a support network has been, as well as doing lots of research, asking lots of questions, even if they seem daft,  having a very clear idea of the project and how to go about making it happen from transport, to specialist help such as designers, budgeting for services/fees and never being afraid to ask for help and advise, often.

One member of the group asked about using  'art speak' within a funding application, which is interesting because it seems to point towards a myth regarding these things. I found that it was important to be clear, thorough and logical but also allowed my and the other artists involved,  enthusiasm for a project to show through. Looking back on the applications, I never felt that 'art speak' was used. Assuming that this means dense theory and very long words.

What I wanted to get across while chatting to the artists is that I wanted Tainted Love to get out to as wide an audience as possible (making this clear in the application) through visiting the show, online interaction, curator days, publications and that I had everything in place (as far as I possibly could) for that to happen at the time of application. Also that within a group show no one is alone and I have been continuously supported by all of the artists in lots of different ways. I was on a very steep learning curve having never put together anything of its sort before. I imagine that all of that sounds like simple common sense but I think that fears and worries can have a big impact. So my last words to the artists were go for it, you're never alone so seek out people who can offer advice and help at every stage.

Thanks to Dan Pryde-Jarman and all of the artists at Meter Room who have made Tainted Love feel welcome and their continuing support for the project.

Which brings me to this weekend when I am off to Down Stairs Gallery to install the show for the third and last time. Each install has been a very different experience I'm looking forward to finding out what this one will be like and a little sad that it will be the last install. (I am going to take some pictures and report back)
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'Hero worship broadens one's love horizons, for if love doesn't require the merest hint of participation from the other party then the number of potential candidates is infinite.' My Judy Garland Life by Susie Boyt

I have been invited to join in with the upcoming studio crit group at the Meter Room, Coventry, on Saturday 15 September and chat a bit about Tainted Love. It will be really good to discuss the tour and the ideas behind the show as well as hear about Meter Room and studio holder plans. I'm looking forward to an excellent afternoon of discussion as the install for Tainted Love at Down Stairs gallery comes ever closer. Opening Saturday 29 September 6-9pm.
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While Tainted Love has been on a break from its tour the Tainted Love artists have been as busy as ever. Cathy Lomax,  Alli Sharma & Paul Kinderley are taking part in Still at the Hackney Picture House, opening Thursday 6th September. Cathy has also taken part in Saatchi's 100 Curators, 100 days.

Mark Scott Wood was selected to take on the Morph Plinth residency and has been taking The Witch Man Tree Deamons to festivals and shows through out the summer. He will also be presenting Morph Plinth at Down Stairs Gallery during the Tainted Love Preview evening. Mark was selected for the  WW Gallery 2012 Solo award exhibition, congratulations Mark.

Jessica Voorsanger took part in Wide Open open schools at The Hayward collaborating with Ivana Saldana to reinterpret and perform dance scenes from films.  Alice Anderson is preparing for her solo show at Rifle Maker, London. Andrea Hannon is moving into the final phase of  a  practice based Phd at Coventry University and Hayley Lock is preparing for her final  show - MA Contemporary Art & Professional Practice at Colchester Institute and Firstsite. We wish  Hayley and Andrea the best of luck.

Georgie Flood has shown work in  Galerie Lungo, Rotterdam and  Perfect Nude at Charlie Smith, London. Annabel Dover has taken part in the first Santorini Biennale, Santorini, Greece and will soon be taking part in a new chapter of The Count Of Monte Cristo, Father & Son in Portsmouth as well as This Me Of Mine, curated by Jane Boyer. 

Kirsty Buchanan has been really busy working on new projects and soon to be working with the Princes Drawing School. Meanwhile I have been making new work and sending some away to the ongoing Tweetart project based at Westgate Studios curated by Bob Milner, as well as taking part in Escape, along with several other Tainted love Artists: Transition Shop at Aid&Abets Bibioteque where publications, limited editions and original works are for show and sale until September 15th.

The install for Tainted Love at Downstairs Gallery starts in mid September and I am looking forward to it hugely. Each venue chosen for Tainted Love has been intentionally very different and has had a fascinating impact on the work. This next install will be an adventure, which I will document as I go along.
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Tainted Love will be back in September 2012 at Downstairs Gallery, Great Brampton House, Herefordshire

This weekend is the last weekend of  Tainted Love at the Meter Room in Coventry. Last day Sunday 8th July:  open Fri - Sun 1-5pm.

I will be really sad to de install the work and pack it all away for the second time, Tainted Love has been a roller coaster of a show so far and I have loved every second of it. From the nervous anticipation of asking the artists to take part, waiting for news from our funders ACE & Coventry City Council, gathering the work together and feeling constantly excited while hearing the ideas and seeing the work from the artists. This show has had the benefit of a huge team effort of enthusiasm and support from everyone involved - artists, galleries, technicians, writers and the visitors to Tainted Love who have passed on their kind encouragement. For all of which I am hugely grateful.

In the mean time, while we get ready for our final stop on the Tainted Love tour you can have a look in the Tainted Love shop and read visitors thoughts on the show: Anna Mcnay talks about Tainted Love at Transition Gallery on art-Corpus and Julie Chamberlain reviews the show at the Meter Room in The Coventry Evening Telegraph.

Of course this is just a brief break in the Tainted Love tour and we are all excited about the final stop at Downstairs Gallery opening in September 2012. A beautiful setting with a touch of drama and romance, you can see more photographs taken on my recent visit here.
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