Thank you Vicki Lesley, Justin's Dailies, and many others for tuning into my live video with the magnifcent Eleanor Anstruther!
An imperect AI Summary:
The conversation, which featured Eleanor Anstruther and the artist known as SLART, covered topics ranging from the origin of a significant photograph to the details of SLART‘s recent exhibition and his artistic philosophy in the face of bereavement.
The Unposed Photograph and Matt Berry
The chat began by discussing the black and white photograph used as a thumbnail or graphic, which Eleanor described as “dark pensive and sad,” and “beautiful”. SLART shared the photo’s backstory: he took it in a passport photo booth because he had messed up the writing on an exhibition flyer he intended to give to Matt Berry. The final, unposed shot—which Eleanor noted looked “incredibly posed” and like a “fantastic art piece”—was taken accidentally because the booth snapped the picture immediately after the money was put in, before SLART was ready. SLART later added a blue filter to the black and white image.
Regarding Matt Berry (musician and actor), whom SLART had wanted to invite to his exhibition, SLART did manage to give him the flyer, but was “gutted” when Matt Berry didn’t attend. SLART reflected that while Matt Berry was “really charming” during a talk, he “lost the charm a bit” when meeting one-to-one, speculating that this was understandable when signing records for 150 people separately.
THE moment I handed over the flyer.
The Memento Vivere Exhibition
SLART‘s show, Memento Vivere, was held in an underground crypt below St Pancras Church. SLART described the exhibition as “amazing” and “very moving”. He noted that small mishaps, such as forgetting the 200-year-old key to the crypt one day, made the overall experience more interesting. The space itself was initially intimidating to SLART, who worried about filling the large crypt. However, it was ultimately “perfectly spaced out,” allowing viewers to follow a journey through the tunnels.
The exhibition featured 34 works in total, exceeding the original plan of 24. These included his fistula collection, which documented his kidney failure, as well as several modern momento mori paintings. SLART noted that having a show deadline helped focus his mind, allowing the ideas to flow and clarifying the creative process.
Artistic Process, Style, and Influences
SLART discussed his journey in art, noting he only started painting in 2019 after a 20-year break. He found his return to art—prompted by reading a post from Thomas J. Beavenon about reconnecting with childhood abilities—to be “life affirming” and a recovery of his essence. He felt the delay allowed him to accumulate life experiences, giving him “a lot more to say”.
Key elements of SLART‘s artistic philosophy and development include:
• Action over Fear: Despite being “crippled with self-doubts” and experiencing nervousness every time he pursues a project, the passion to get his work out “is bigger than the fear”. He is a living example of “just doing it anyway”.
• Style Development: His style has become “freer” and more authentic. He actively moved away from attempting realism or inventing a contrived style after a mentor, Cros Crosley, advised him to return to his “naive art style”.
• Viewer Completion: SLART recognizes that the viewer completes the work and determines what it means to them, noting that artists cannot control interpretation. He compares releasing art to “producing children and setting them free”.
• Moving On: SLART has developed a good practice of knowing when a piece is finished and moving on to the next project without dwelling, which he considers a “sweet spot”. He is not afraid of running dry because he believes the well of ideas is universal.
SLART expressed affinity for artists who pursued their own voice, mentioning Picasso. He expressed love for David Shrigley‘s free, non-realistic style. He has a real affinity for Jean Dubuffet, who started taking art seriously late in life (at age 41). SLART also discussed the importance of depth in art, referencing Rothko and Francis Bacon, noting that he found “the most incredible calm” in front of Bacon’s paintings because the artist “is showing the inside”.
Bereavement and Humour
A poignant detail of the exhibition was the death of SLART‘s older brother, Gary, who died of liver failure the day before the December 2023 exhibition. Gary’s struggles stemmed from trauma experienced during the first Gulf War. SLART chose to continue with the show and was honest with visitors.
SLART painted straight away after the death. His work responded by depicting a figure drinking beer and having war trauma flashbacks. He also used humor by painting a memory of himself and a friend stealing Gary’s porn magazines as a child, showing Gary looming over them. SLART emphasized the necessity of incorporating humor into his work, as you have to “laugh about things” even concerning death. SLART also noted that Gary had kept his illness secret from the family until he died.
Future Plans
SLART confirmed that he is planning a documentary that will document the process of using art to get through kidney failure and bereavement, as well as the exhibition process. He noted that he has some video editing skills and intends to “give it a go,” focusing on telling his story rather than creating a “perfect documentary”.
Eleanor also mentioned that SLART has a catalog of unsold work available on his Substack. See below.
Memento vivere has concluded
Some of the artworks are still available to purchase. To view our catalogue and price list, please find the links below.
* Memento Vivere Catalogue
* Memento Vivere Price List
Get in touch if you have any questions or would like to make a purchase.
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