Wordplay is my first online exhibition! One evening I was mulling over my prints and building a business from the ground up around my art and design - creative work. I have worked in the creative industry for 20 plus years now and I really wanted to make money off of my own creative-led work again. I realised that I didn't need a venue to exhibit a cohesive set of work. I could do it online! So here we go, welcome to my first exhibition - Please leave a comment or engage with me about these pieces if you like. Just as if we were in some well lit gallery. :)
Come with me on this... You're standing in a large one room gallery. Small groups of well-dressed people mull about holding glasses of wine, talking amongst themselves. It's a jolly vibe. Suddenly you hear someone calling the crowd to attention. It's me... I'm trying to say something. You settle into a comfortable standing pose and settle down with the rest of the people there. I begin to explain the work you are about to view.
"Welcome to Wordplay! My Spring 2021 exhibition of work. This exhibit of work is a tribute to wordplay at the kitchen table. The stories and conversations rising out of time spent with others breaking bread. The collection is a playful exploration of the language and stories I've spoken or heard spoken around the table. Kitchen or dining room tables have seen so many conversations over the years. Our meal times are filled with fun conversations, jokes and at times some more serious topics." I then spend some time thanking people for coming and thanking my family for their patience with me. Especially Heather who created her own crochet wonders sitting next to as I worked on these pieces. I declare the exhibition open and unveil the work against the walls.
You move along with some others to the nearest picture, moving into a good position to view the piece and read the artist's write up about it.
Excuse me! There's an Ophelia in my soup ...
As a child, 'Waiter, waiter, there's a fly in my soup...' type jokes were a dime a dozen. I hope it is clear that I've combined these joke structures with the idea of Ophelia floating after drowning in the river from classical literature. Only here, it's the shock of finding Ophelia floating in a bowl of soup like a large Wanton dumpling whilst the fly languishes on the fork. This artwork will grace your living space, bringing a smile to your face or creating fun conversations with guests.
Buy this print: https://www.cirocorreia.com/collections/spring-2021-collection-table-manners/products/ophelia-german-etching
You listen to people speaking about the work around you. Some like them, others have questions. You move on to the next piece.
Storm in a teacup
I've often thought about this kind of image. I decided on a boat without people in the end because it felt more powerful to have no one in the boat. I want the storm to rage out of the cup but still be confined to the teacup. This beautiful print will make any space come alive.
Buy this print: https://www.cirocorreia.com/collections/spring-2021-collection-table-manners/products/storm-teacup-hahnemuhle-german-etching
Someone next to you likes this one, she thinks it would go well in her lounge. There is a lot of commotion coming from people standing around the next picture. You walk over to see it.
A finger in every pie
Wouldn't this be the perfect print for your kitchen? Or perhaps the dining room? You need to have a wicked sense of humour to be able to carry off owning this artwork. I'm sure you realise it's a play on the finger of 'A Finger in Every Pie'. One of my primary school teachers was fond of telling us a wartime story involving a butcher who kept on making the most delicious and plump pies through the war. Until a finger was discovered in one of his amazing pies. The story stuck.
Buy this print: https://www.cirocorreia.com/collections/spring-2021-collection-table-manners/products/finger-pie-hahnemuhle-german-etching
You hear someone say that they'll be giving up eating pies. Another one thinks that they would love this print in their kitchen. You're halfway through the exhibition and move on to number 4.
Monster Custard
Pudding back in the day was almost sure to be a monstrous bowl of custard. Cheap and cheerful and sure to keep the kids happy. I love Japanese culture and pop culture. Japanese monster movies have influenced the western genre. In Monster custard I've placed Godzilla vs Kong in a bowl of custard, biscuits crumble around them like skyscrapers tumbling to the ground as they battle for supremacy. It is a huge bowl of custard accommodating an iconic battle.
Buy this print: https://www.cirocorreia.com/collections/spring-2021-collection-table-manners/products/monster-custard-hahnemuhle-german-etching
You like Japanese cinema too and spend some time looking at Godzilla and Kong as they wrestle in the custard bowl before moving on to the next piece.
Packed in like...
Yes, that's right! This is your chance to put 'the man' back into the can. Or, if you like perhaps this inspires some sort of nostalgia for those daily commutes on public transport. Pack them in tight like sardines.
Buy this print: https://www.cirocorreia.com/collections/spring-2021-collection-table-manners/products/packed-in-hahnemuhle-german-etching
You think your brother might like 'Packed in like...' He often complains about the London underground. You glimpse a dragon on the last painting. You like dragons and move closer to see it.
Dragon Fodder
This is my little nod to fantasy conversations from Tolkien to Game of Thrones. The wordplay is on keeping the dragon happy. Dragon fodder comes from a Germanic phrase meaning giving gifts to pacify your partner. The orange, well everyone knows that dragons like their gold - think Smaug.
Buy this print: https://www.cirocorreia.com/collections/spring-2021-collection-table-manners/products/dragon-fodder-hahnemuhle-german-etching
You spot a friend in the crowd and go over to chat over a glass of wine. Later that evening you walk home having had a great night out. Maybe you'll purchase one of the prints later in the week.
5 comments
Well done Ciro, a true testament to your amazing talent and wonderful sense of fun and wordplay. Looking forward to making a purchase or two, sitting in art class with Mr Walker was a great time to spend exploring our time and minds, well done Ciro!
Still love your art all these years later, I fully support your work and will definitely make a purchase or two. Sitting in art class with Mr Walker, and having free reign of time to explore our creative elements! Awesome Ciro.
These pieces were really interesting and so beautifully done. The Ophelia piece evoked sadness, will have a different take on wonton soup going forward, the fly was amazingly done! My favourite is the storm in the teacup. I loved the beauty and calm of the holding tea cup, the colours on the cup are gorgeous. It felt like a meditative piece for me. Monster custard was also really fun, very playful. Very interesting work. The other ones were amazingly done as well, the finger one is an image I am trying to forget though!
These pieces were really interesting and so beautifully done. The Ophelia piece evoked sadness, will have a different take on wonton soup going forward, the fly was amazingly done! My favourite is the storm in the teacup. I loved the beauty and calm of the holding tea cup, the colours on the cup are gorgeous. It felt like a meditative piece for me. Monster custard was also really fun, very playful. Very interesting work. The other ones were amazingly done as well, the finger one is an image I am trying to forget though!
Stumbling in through the portal to the gallery left ajar in Facebook, I found my myself at the back of the crowd as Ciro concluded his welcome speech. Soon a buzz of chatter and nodding heads gathered around each piece, and laughter rang out, warming the chilly evening. Guests starved of company, witty conversation, art and food, eagerly digested each work. Then left, each with a smile, a memory, and something to sustain them on the road ahead.