Port Calls Jonathan Murphy
Eastbourne has a fantastic art scene, which is spearheaded by Towner Gallery with its world-class exhibitions and rich roster of events. At Port, we want to support and help nurture the fantastic creativity that can be found in East Sussex and our surroundings. Our restaurant and bar area, therefore, provides the space for artists to showcase their work and narratives.
Our inaugural exhibition that runs from April – August 2021 is with Jonathan Murphy who studied Fine Art Painting at Slade School. Having lived in London for 20 years, Jonathan has now escaped the city is based on the East Sussex coast.
Over to Jonathan…
What inspires your art?
I’m currently making a new bodywork in ceramics. Whilst making them I was thinking about the flotsam and jetsam I find on the local beaches whilst walking Ray our dog. He’s a grey whippet and totally crazy, we call him the drummer in the band.
How has your practice evolved over time?
I hope that I’m really pushing my painting practice as much as I can and making works that strike a balance between a kind of seduction and beauty but also a visual complexity.
What kind of art do you most identify with?
Work that has come through a process that’s real, that you sense the artist or maker has really thought about and believes in, or has taken a risk with.
Tell us a bit about the pieces exhibited at Port
There’s a mix of works from coloured pencil on paper through to oil on canvas that date from roughly 2015 to 2021 so there’s a real view here of pieces that have been in conversation for many years. I’ve had a few recent exhibitions that’ve gathered artwork together from a wide time range. The works are — and I know it’s a word that’s been over used in the artworld but it’s just right for this — rhizomatic; they’re all interrelated and splintered by my studio practice and ongoing narratives.
Imraan, the interior designer for Port, worked with me to select the artwork. He was confident enough to allow another editing process to happen whilst we were installing the paintings and drawings. When you put works in a room together suddenly they do things you didn’t expect and quick decisions need to be made!
You’ve taken on some collaborative projects with other artists. How did you find that process?
I programme a weird online platform called Nada/Da and this grew from wanting to organise and curate shows (I used to do a lot of this) but not wanting to take on the, sometimes onerous, task of working physically in a gallery space (as it turns out online spaces can be just as much work, albeit a different kind). Here I’ve worked with national and international artists, Turner Prize winners and nominees. Crucially though it’s a space where artists can test work and really experiment and if the work’s particularly challenging, they are welcome to submit using a pseudonym.
I’m currently working with an artist on a project for Tillingham - a local vineyard and restaurant.
“I hope that I’m really pushing my painting practice as much as I can and making works that strike a balance between a kind of seduction and beauty but also a visual complexity.”
What series are you currently working on?
I have a solo show at the end of the year. For this, I’m making the series of ceramics I mentioned but also large and small paintings and fabric wall hangings. All being well this should be in October through December and is a super exciting project.
Do you have a favourite artist of all time?
This changes all the time but I’m currently looking at Reinhard Mucha. I saw an amazing piece — that I only realised was by him recently — at the Pompidou when we were last in Paris. I made the connection when I was looking at framing for my Solo show later this year. Matisse always grabs me: they can be achingly beautiful, but don’t let that fool you because he also makes difficult paintings that illuminate what’s possible. The Rose Marble Table and Le Bonheur de Vivre are good examples.
What do you love about the East Sussex coast and countryside?
It’s really dynamic at the moment with some super interesting people already here and moving here! The pandemic has been tough for a lot of people so I think the South Coast is being thought of as a kind of panacea for this and a viable alternative to the cities. The light and the landscape here surprises me on a daily basis and there are super amazing food places establishing themselves and a host of vineyards in the area making world-class and innovative wines.
Share your top three places to visit in Eastbourne
There are so many! Port of course, but then anyone visiting Eastbourne should stay or eat here. I’m a fiend for ice cream and so Fusciardi’s is next on my list and it’s a 2-minute walk from Port. The Towner is next: world-class contemporary art. If I have to keep it to three then make sure to visit an amazing project space called Volt and if you visit in October December you’ll see my exhibition there.
To see more of Jonathan’s work follow him on Instagram @__jonathan__murphy
With thanks to Emma Croman for the photography.