Embargoed 1am, February 7, 2005
An innovative move to bring art into people’s lives by exhibiting works of up and coming artists in a new gallery inside a South Wales hair salon will be unveiled today (Monday, February 7).
Gordon Sharp, owner of Cracked Actors hair salon in Caerphilly, has created the art gallery to give a showcase to new artists and to let people view exhibitions without having to the more conventional city galleries.
Having run the successful salon for more than a decade, Gordon hit upon the idea of creating the gallery as a way of combining his love of art and his career by combining the two in the Pontagwindy Road, Caerphilly premises.
Last year he completed a major refurbishment of the two-floor salon, which attracts clients from a wide area, with the interior designed so that it could operate as both an exhibition space as well as working salon.
For example, the number of stylists’ units has been kept to only nine on the two-floor premises. The usual practice is to fill all available space with stylists’ units – and all wall space with mirrors.
“We are now able to mount exhibitions as a genuine gallery and we are delighted that we can now give artists the opportunity to exhibit their works,” Gordon explained.
“None of our artists have had their own exhibitions before. We are really pleased to be able to give this opportunity to artists that would not be given the time of day by the large city galleries.”
For the gallery’s opening shows Gordon has looked out South Wales artists who have wanted to be able to exhibit their works. These have hen been narrowed down to this first programme of exhibitions. The initial exhibition is works by Cardiff-born Mark Parkin.
Mark Parkin moved to Canada aged nine and became a qualified artist after graduating with a Fine Arts Degree.
He spent seven years in Spain where he was strongly influenced by the work of surrealist masters Dali and de Chirico and has now based himself in his native South Wales.
“My direction and philosophy concerning my artistic endeavours has revolved around surrealism, which passionately took hold of me when I was a student,” he said. “The traditional surrealistic artists of the odern movement have inspired my ideological approach and inspiration.”
Details of forthcoming exhibitions are available to visitors to the salon/gallery. Gordon also intends to keep in contact with artists who have exhibited and, in the longer term, he will develop the gallery to include artists from further afield.
Visitors to the gallery will have the opportunity to purchase works being exhibited.
The first exhibition will have a private viewing on Monday, February 7 and will then be open to the public – including salon customers – from Tuesday, February 8.
For further information, interviews and photograph opportunities please contact:
Gordon Sharp on 07876 531168 (mobile), 029 20868207 (salon/gallery)
Mike Smith, Mediasmith, 029 20 462686, 07795 3265161, E-mail: mike@mediasmith.co.uk
