The Camden Arts Centre - It's Ok to be Boring

Simon Raven 

It’s not as often as I’d like it to be that I walk into an art gallery and feel instantly at home. My first visit to the Camden Arts Centre was an enjoyable one; I discovered a place that celebrates artists, educates all ages and allows space to relax and unwind. Upon arrival I was welcomed by an assortment of books spanning the length of the ground floor; a variety of reading material is available to visitors of all ages and creative interests.

The Camden Arts Centre exudes a family friendly atmosphere, with courses for all ages, such as clay sculpting and life drawing, as well as a garden to sit and unwind, which I can only imagine thrives in the summertime. The Centre even runs a garden residency, Taking Root, which allows visitors to explore the thriving ecology that surrounds them.

When exploring the upstairs galleries I discovered that the most exciting thing about the Centre was housed in a playful and unusual studio currently in the residence of Simon Raven. His studio is filled with a variety of interesting and humorous contraptions. In the time that Raven has occupied the space he has transformed the large white room into an artist’s playground to which an open door policy is in place. Raven’s practice is multi-disciplinary involving performance, painting, film and music.

Raven is a welcoming character; it makes an interesting change to talk to an artist directly about their practice than read it from the wall next to their work. He is inspired by the writings of Slavok Zizek and is developing a psychoanalytical space entitled ‘It’s OK to be boring’, which he explains is a comment on the atmosphere generally generated by artists work with a psychoanalytical premise. The space is far from boring and plays host to a ‘Iceberg Lounge’ that Raven created for a Frieze VIP party inspired by the 1960s batman villain Mr Freeze. A giant iceberg sculpture is placed in the centre of the room and surrounded by works involving tinfoil and lights among other materials and found objects to explore.

Raven is also hosting a literary ghost themed party on Halloween (31/10/12 7pm-9pm) in celebration of his residency’s conclusion, to which the best costume will win a painting of Raven’s depicting pugs in space.

The Camden Arts Centre epitomises the character of Camden; a fun, open, family orientated building, housing interesting art work and opportunities, with the odd flamboyant and affable character thrown in for good measure.