ISAAC BLEASE

Dates of residency: May till July 2016
Born: 1992
Nationality: British
Lives and works: Bristol, United Kingdom
Education: 
2018  MA Curating, University of the West of England
2015  BA Documentary Photography, University of South Wales
Exhibitions
2019 Alone with Empire, Getxo Photo-Festival, Regional Library of Bizkaia, Bilbao
2018  Alone with Empire, Installation & Artwork, Vestibules, Bristol City Hall, Bristol
2017  Charaxes Imperialis, Diffusion Photo-Festival, Millennium Centre, Cardiff
2014  Drawing a Presence, Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall

The Artist
Isaac Blease works with photography and archival material on both personal and collaborative projects. His project Charaxes Imperialis about the butterfly collection bequeathed to him by his Grandfather was the winner of the Deutsche Bank DBACE art & photography award in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Magnum Graduate photography award and the Photoworks/Jerwood award. His work has been published in the British Journal of Photography, Wire Magazine, Paper Journal, and Source Magazine.

The Residency
Through photographs, UK artist Blease surveyed the contemporary use of CHARMLAND, an abandoned country-club in Awkar. The establishment closed in 2006 following a legal battle regarding ownership and has since been re-inhabited by a mix of skateboarders, migrant workers, and a garbage municipality. Instead of focusing simply on the dereliction of Charmland, Blease’s work shows an alternative and diverse space, with multiple uses and users. This in turn explores ideas around coexistence and the reclamation of the urban environment.