Bobbie Wilson
DILEMMA
Dilemma MCR was a student art collective focussing on accessible exhibitions appealing to young people and students. In collaboration with XLR club in Withington, Manchester, we organised four exhibitions over our final year. We also collaborated with Noface collective and Refugee women connect to create art events.
NIGHT SHIFT
Night Shift was an immersive exhibition looking at the culture of clubbing and raving, and what that experience means to us as young people. Throughout these formative years, the club becomes a place of familiarity, excitement and release; a much needed contrast to the pressure of academic graft and everyday reality. To many, these spaces are an opportunity to remove ourselves from the responsibilities of life as a young adult in an increasingly stressful global landscape. And after years of being stuck in lockdowns, these explosive environments of fun, physical movement and personal connection are strongly craved and more important than ever.
This show comprised of works submitted by a diverse selection of young artists from across the country. We have a variety of mediums on display - including sculpture, textiles, paint, photography and poetry - curated within a nightclub, helping the viewer to immerse in this all too familiar setting.
MAKE AND
DESTROY
Make and Destroy was a collaborative event between Dilemma, No Face and Northern Parasol. This event looked to art as an experience as opposed to art as a commodity, encouraging people to interact with and even destroy the works on show.
The first part of the event was a workshop held by Dilemma. We invited people from across our communities to make 2D drawings and collages which would then be displayed and destroyed.
Part two of the event was at club night at Aatma featuring bands and DJS. Dilemma displayed the work throughout the venue, encouraging people throughout the night to tear down, vandalise, graffiti the work.
LOST IN THE
SUPERMARKET
Lost in the supermarket drew from our experiences of student life, and the rituals and routines which define this stage. We looked to the supermarket as a shared arena in which life plays out, an embodiment of both the freedoms and anxieties that come with independence. From there each artist has created works, making up a collection which spans across painting, sculpture, print and drawing, examining the unique defining elements of our current experience. At the heart of this is the idea of the everyday, trying to capture the rhythms and dynamics that bring waves of intimacy, loneliness, company, joy, boredom.
Exhibiting within a defining student space, we invite the viewer to assume the duality of their part, as an observer of the works and an active participant of the student culture it explores.
This exhibition was in collaboration with Refugee Women Connect which helps women to navigate the complex process of seeking asylum. They offer an extensive outreach programme where refugee women can access a range of emotional and physical support. When discussing this exhibition we struggled to pinpoint exactly what it was we wanted to say. Worried about being patronising, or promoting the ‘girlboss’ ideals of a universal female strength, we wanted to turn our attention to a more nuanced interaction with femininity which explores themes of sensitivity, care and human connection. The works in this exhibition look to a range of these interactions such as our complex relationship to our bodies, struggles with identity, and appreciating the beauty in everyday encounters.
TAKE CARE
TIGHT SPOT
A tight spot takes a look at the ongoing practices of Martha, Matilde and Bobbie, almost a year on from our first exhibition together. Caught on a precipice between structured formal education and the blank space of the future that lies ahead, this exhibition is an opportunity to show new work and celebrate this intense moment in time.
Our art, although different, shares an interest in human interaction, the physicality of making and most importantly beauty. Throughout this exhibition we will be showing where these concerns are leading us in our individual practices and how a year of friendship has helped us to develop as artists.
