In an unused office space on the outskirts of Leeds, an expanding group of artists are developing some fascinating site-specific work about hoarding, working ‘towards the archaeology of an artist’s mind'; this, ladies and gentlemen, is HOARD. At the beginning of this December month, a couple of us from the GRID went along to see what it was all about, and came away feeling enlivened.
HOARD brings together artists of numerous disciplines (including some of our previous interviwees, Anna Lilleengen and Jade Blood) in a shared exhibition space which regularly opens to the public to showcase how the project is developing. We were invited along to an artist crit evening, giving us an exclusive insight into the process behind the artworks which exhibition visitors don’t usually get to see. Under the spotlight in December were Susan Timmins, Diane Ketteringham and Hayley MaColl each developing works dealing with the boundaries of public and private space in diverse ways.
It was revealing to see the range of opinion on an artwork’s status – of it being unfinished, unquestionably complete, hardly begun or comfortably in progress – as voices spoke up from the curve of the crit’s circle. Isn’t it interesting how everyone and their mother will have an opinion on such things before the artist names it ‘done’, after which its finished-ness is set in stone (or oil paint, or objet trouvé, whatever your media)? Say what you like about the subjectivity of artistic value or critical response, I’ve never heard of an artwork being disregarded as ‘unfinished'; the artist’s word really can be final, even in a world run by collectors and critics.
Ending the evening, Angela Tait and Ian Nick Clegg led a print workshop. 
Emily and I got very involved. Sorry, Ian, for our boisterous roller skills.
Keep an eye out for HOARD (definitely worth going to the January show, free-shuttle bus from the station provided). The range of approaches promises to deliver a selection of exciting artworks in this on-going project.
One final titbit: The Vantage Prize 2014 show, which gives funding, support and a London-based residency to emerging Northern artists, is happening in the same place, on the same evening (Jan 18th). What more do you want!
See you there.
