Ceramic Graduate Morgan Dowdall presents a ‘Well-Hung’ exhibition as part of Nottingham’s UK Young Artist takeover (UKYA).
Morgan graduated from the BA ceramics course in 2018 and went on to become an INC space member; an opportunity to spend an additional year with the School to launch their own business or a sustainable career as a practicing artist, designer or maker. The opportunities started rolling in from there! A highlight being the ‘Well-Hung’ exhibition as part of Nottingham’s UK Young Artist takeover (UKYA).
Morgan first heard about this opportunity whilst exhibiting at New Designers where the UKYA organisers were very enthusiastic about his wall hanging plates – they suggested he apply for the Nottingham city takeover and when the call-out opened, he did just that.
His ‘Nude Yoga Men’ plates were developed as part of his second year on the Ceramics course and although not part of his final degree show, he has been refining their design ever since.
Working in INC Space, has taught him how to balance his workload between making fine art sculptures and these more illustrative ceramics & prints. His plates are a celebration of sexuality and diverse bodies.
“Although I use paper stencils to create the silhouettes of the figures, through drawing, I am able to create infinite possibilities within the men that feature on the plates. I want people to feel represented and accepted so I try to make them as diverse as possible, not focussing on portraying an ‘ideal’ male body.”
Morgan proposed 20 various sized plates to occupy the exhibition wall and got his letter of acceptance in August 2018, stating that the plates would need to be posted by January 2019.
“It was a quick turnaround to restock after making some Christmas sales and I’d never mailed so many plates at once before, so I was a bit nervous! – but luckily everything arrived safe and sound.”
The event spanned 7th – 13th Feb and featured over 250 artists. The works ranged from sculpture, fine art, applied art, performance art and film. Participating artists were offered free accommodation.
“The work was all very high quality. I picked up on a general ‘bodily’ theme throughout the work and the event itself felt very queer-friendly and welcoming. The studio spaces in Nottingham are so big and exciting! I’m keen to start something similar in Cardiff. The experience of following a map to find these secret locations filled with art, reminded me of exploring the pavilions at the Venice Biennale and was a great way to get familiar with the city.”
Morgan has recently been informed that his work has been selected for G R A F T – a UKYA exhibition in Preston featuring 24 of the original 250+ artists from the Nottingham takeover.
“All in all, it was a really successful and enjoyable trip! I’d definitely recommend others to apply for this opportunity, if not just spend a couple of days immersed in some amazing art.”
Artist Website: www.morgandowdall.com
