The Tokarska Gallery is pleased to announce the dates of an exciting exhibition of artwork by London artist, Jonathan O'Dea. The exhibition explores the phyical changes to our environment and how these changes impact on our visual culture.

At the beginning of 2012 Jonathan O’Dea began working on a unique visual art project called ‘Changing Spaces’ which received funding from Arts Council Eng-land and support from the Lee Valley Park Authority. The project focused on the visual impact of the development of the Olympic Park and its relationship with the Lee Valley Park. From this concept Jonathan produced a series of ten 3-dimensional abstract works that interact with the changing environment around the Olympic Park and its inherent connectedness to the wider context of the 26 mile long, 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park. Using recycled building materials and found objects from both of these parks Jonathan created a number of wall-mounted sculptures that explore regeneration and the natural and industrial his-tory of the area.

One of the centerpieces of the project is a 3 metre high sculpture constructed on-site from a felled tree provided by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. This imposing and long term sculptural work Intervention can be viewed at the Wa-terworks Nature Reserve in Leyton beside one of the main public footpaths lead-ing from Waltham Forest to the nearby Olympic Park.

Jonathan’s aim is to produce art that is abstract but easily accessible: “I want people to be curious about the materials and how the artwork is constructed and to link this curiosity with the physical techniques and methods used in the regen-eration of brownfield sites like the Olympic Park and the revitalising of Lee Valley Regional Park. This interest is partly fuelled by working on construction sites and also by fascination in the visual impact of turning something old into something new.”

Jonathan’s techniques and approach to art have been described as: ‘bringing together new ways of working to produce some of the most interesting and engaging art you will find in London and beyond’ according to the guide one of London's leading visual art events, The E17 Art Trail. This is reflected in a number of successful solo exhibitions and groups shows in Britain, Ireland and China over the past three years in particular. In 2011 Jonathan's work also gained attention at the European level and he was invited to show his work at the 12 Star Gallery at the European Commission.

Jonathan O'Dea has been professional artist for over 10 years and is a permanent fixture in the London art scene where he has contributed hugely to the cultural profile of East London and his home Borough of Waltham Forest. His work has been shown in Britain, Ireland and China, and each year his work can be seen in one of London's largest annual visual arts events, The E17 Art Trail. Jonathan is also a strong campaigner in the use of culture to create social cohesion. Jonathan is a strong advocate of bringing about an end to un-paid internships in the cultur-al sector, to ensure that young people from marginalised groups have the finan-cial resources to access training and development within the sector.

Tokarska Gallery
163 Forest Rd, Walthamstow
London E17 6HE United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 85315419
info@tokarskagallery.co.uk
www.tokarskagallery.co.uk

Opening hours
Thursday - Saturday
From 12pm to 7pm or by apointment