Cloud Nine //  Creativity, connection and comfort

 

Text by Kate Mullins

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Today, in the midst of a global pandemic, we find ourselves in a troubling and unfamiliar world. Lives and livelihoods are under threat, and mandatory distancing measures and border closures negate the very human desire to connect and find comfort in one another. Artists face a particularly uncertain future. How can they continue to engage with one another, to work and to create?

 

For this project, Annie Sandano has reached out across the miles to a diverse group of artists to collaborate with her on a series of artworks in the tradition of the Surrealist game exquisite corpse. Translated from the French cadavre exquis, the game involves a succession of artists creating a single work, each having seen only a small portion of the previous artist’s contribution.

 

This playful approach to art making sparks humour and camaraderie and has enriched the practices of many artists since its inception in the 1920s. It presents an opportunity to tap into the wellspring of inspiration that comes from connecting with others, a chance to experiment with new practices and to create something that could not be conceived of by one mind alone: a piece greater than the sum of its parts.

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