Art Matters

‘With war raging and children dying, and the slow waltz of extremism on our doorstep and within our cities and towns, art can seem ephemeral, unnecessary and the preserve of the lucky few. It may seem indulgent even, and for those of us in city centres and with fancy Wren churches (hashtag Piccadilly Priest), it may seem like a right more than a privilege. But those of us here today do not need to be told that art matters, that it shakes us from slumber, that it keeps us sensitised and sensitive and that it draws us back to question earth-bound mercy, the earth-pretence of who is pure in heart, the earth-renditions of the peacemakers. All of these things are turned upside down by Jesus and all of these things are turned upside down by art’.

This is very, very late ‘Thank You’ to the lovely Jane Chipp, who not only sent me much appreciated photos and kind words during Varnishing Day (I just couldn’t face going) at the Royal Academy of Arts earlier this year, but also posted the notes from the ‘Service For Artists’ (extract above) at St James’s Church on Piccadilly (an annual sermon for exhibitors), given to her its author, the equally lovey (as it turns out) Associate Priest, Mariama Ifode-Bleasein. She is a huge asset to the church, and no mistake.

I get a mention in said service (sort of), ‘For some of you, this will be your first attempt at submitting your work for the Summer Exhibition, for others it will be your thirty-second’.

I’m not a big fan of religions, but Jesus has always seemed like an incorruptible bloke who would make a good job of running the country.

Read the full sermon, ‘The world as it is, is not as the world should be’, below…

Smash Thatcher

Christopher Madden is a County Durham born artist who lives in London. We were born in the same hospital. I was unaware of his existence until a few weeks ago.

In 1979, Chris drew a cartoon of Thatcher which was then used by the Socialist Workers Party for placards and posters. Other people copied the image for their own personal banners. In 1980, one such person drew the image, wrote ‘SMASH THATCHER’ underneath, and carried it to protest against the closure of Consett Steelworks (image above, full credits below). The Steelworks closed in 1980, with a loss of 3000 jobs. One of many closures, as Thatcher continued her axe-wielding across the North. The protest was photographed and printed in the Northern Echo, which is where I found the image. In 2022, I stitched it to ‘Shifting to the Moon’, a piece about greed and short-sightedness, the ridiculousness of the monarchy, how history keeps repeating itself, and how the posh lads are always in charge.

I grew up in Spennymoor which is 10 miles from Consett, and very similar. Nobody in my hometown liked Thatcher. Understandably. I’d never knowingly met a tory until I moved South.

In 2024, I submitted ‘Shifting To The Moon’ for consideration for the Royal Academy Summer Show. It was accepted. Alice Fisher, from the Observer, wrote an article about it, on account of me unsuccessfully trying to get work into the Summer Show for 30 years.

Chris read the article, recognised his cartoon, and got in touch via Instagram. Turns out he has a history of Summer Show rejections, too.

Credits:

Image 1- Consett Steel Workers’ protests, 1980. Northern Echo. Photographer uncredited.

Image 4 - Me with my work at the RA. Photo by Cassie Candle.

Image 5 - Chris’s original cartoon. A screenshot from his Instagram feed.