Join Guernsey Arts and Guernsey Museums & Art Galleries in celebrating the work and legacy of David Robilliard, a locally born artist who exhibited across the globe and today whose artwork is part of both national and international gallery collections including the Tate Modern.
David moved to London in 1975 to pursue a career in poetry which soon flourished into an exploration of art, sexuality and life. His first published book of poetry and first exhibition of his artwork both happened in 1984 which subsequently saw David’s career thrive. In 1988 during the height of the UK’s AIDS epidemic David contracted HIV and died later the same year, tragically cutting short both his life and his creative journey.
The brief is to create works in response to David’s life and work. This can be in the form of poetry, prose, a simple doodle or a sketch. Selected works will be chosen to feature in a ‘Words and Doodles’ zine (distributed to contributors and available to the public for a donation), and contributors will also be invited to join in an evening sharing their work in December.
Jade Kershaw, Community & Public Realm Officer for Guernsey Arts said: “Guernsey Arts is always keen to provide alternative means to interact with and enjoy our exhibitions, and we are thrilled to be able to offer this responsive open as a way to interpret David Robilliard’s work. We hope this will provide a great opportunity for many of the creative public to discover the work and legacy of David, while creating an important record of the public viewpoint of the exhibition.”
Mike Lowe, exhibition curator and Registrar for Guernsey Museums & Galleries commented: “Beyond locally raising awareness of David’s work and life through our current exhibition this responsive open provides an opportunity for people to go one step further – to interact and react to David’s career and legacy. Zines have a strong association with the Riot Grrrl and queer cultures of the early 1990s. They provided an outlet for people to share their lived experiences and express their identities. These are fundamental concepts that David expressed in his poetry and art right up to his death in 1988 and I think the idea of a Robilliard-inspired zine feels like a natural way to respond to his work.”
