Who doesn’t enjoy some outdoor art to brighten our streets? We were delighted when Croydon BID asked us to curate a second season of the Creative Croydon exhibition, after we brought the work of five celebrated local artists to the town centre this time last year.

This year we have an exciting new group of artists exhibiting on our lamppost banners across 40+ sites around Central Croydon. We caught up with the artists, Divya Sharma, Matt Bannister, Skye Baker, Miguel Sopena and Melanie Russell to hear their thoughts on Creative Croydon.

Divya Sharma

Divya’s work reflects her lived experience, with the autobiographical and fictional narratives in her projects exploring possibilities to re-imagine the notion of ‘belonging’. Her practice is multi-disciplinary and is (to her) a powerful form of self-expression. It is a means of sparking important conversations around themes of diaspora, mother tongue and the continued legacies of post colonialism. By sharing her perspective as an immigrant and a member of the Tamil diaspora, she contributes to a broader dialogue on culture, identity, and social justice through her creative work. Drawing connections between the land, her mother tongue, personal memories, and the practice of social relations with animate and inanimate beings, her work evokes the inseparability of the environment from both one’s consciousness and body. Through seeking the practice of place making, it becomes an act of reclaiming the connections between land and language of her ancient ancestors.

Divya has a BA in Fine Art from the University of Arts London and Masters in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art. She is one of the founding members of The Neulinge Collective and The Post Colonials Collective and is the founder and host of the ARTiculate podcast (on Apple Podcasts).

Croydonist: How do you find being part of the creative scene in Croydon? 

Divya: It’s really thrilling to be one of the artists on the banners in Croydon. I am proud of my studio and what it stands for which is why I chose to have a studio in Turf Projects in Croydon. I have met and seen the works of really inspiring artists from Croydon who are genuinely focused on engaging the community and raising awareness of important issues affecting people in the margins whether economically or culturally.

Croydonist: What does it mean to you to be exhibiting in a group art exhibition in Croydon in the year our borough is the London Borough of Culture?

Divya: I am very honoured and pleased to be part of this group art exhibit especially since Croydon is the London borough of Culture! I am a firm believer in art being accessible to all and allowing this very public display on the high street is one way for people to enjoy and ponder upon their own opinions about the works and also engage with art and the artists.

Croydonist: What’s next for you this year/2024?

Divya: I have the Crafts Council Collect Fair in Somerset House and a show at the Pelts Gallery in London and the Spud Gallery in the New Forest.

See more of Divya’s work on her website and Instagram, and read a longer chat with her here on the Croydonist.

Matt Bannister

Matt is an artist from Surrey, living and working in south London. He is fascinated by the quirks and shapes of the urban environment, producing figurative paintings and drawings with detail and strong composition. The work is a response to the sights that many might take for granted: highlighting features, light and shapes that otherwise might have been missed. After studying fine art at Lancaster University, he worked for the BBC for 14 years as an editor, shoot producer and art director for their publicity photography department. A desire to pick up the paintbrush and pencil again, prompted a career change to return to producing his own work and creating imagery for others.

Croydonist: How do you find being part of the creative scene in Croydon? 

Matt: I’ve had a studio at Turf Projects since they first opened in the Whitgift Centre and I feel very lucky to be part of that community. My journeys there, through Croydon’s streets and parks, are never boring and are the source of many ideas.

Croydonist: What does it mean to you to be exhibiting in a group art exhibition in Croydon in the year our borough is the London Borough of Culture?

Matt: I love having this chance to show my work outside and in public – day and night. To see the wind and rain messing with the banners of my ‘paintings’ will be strangely exciting, I think.

Croydonist: What’s next for you this year/2024?

Matt: Some of my recent work is featured in the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries from 17th-26th November (and online until 31st December). One of the drawings is inspired by the traffic lights near Waddon station, so I’m keeping that local vibe going, even in central London.

See more of Matt’s work on his website, Instagram, LinkTree and Twitter, and read a longer chat with him here on the Croydonist.

Skye Baker

Skye is a Burmese illustrator and workshop facilitator from Croydon. She is just finishing off an MA in Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts. She is also a workshop leader for families and adults. Her freelance practice mainly consists of editorial, advertising illustrations, comics, album covers and murals! She creates activity packs and guides for art galleries. and tells stories about connection and joy as she wants her stories to bring people together. 

Croydonist: How do you find being part of the creative scene in Croydon? 

Skye: I love how much of a community there is and how many opportunities there are to show your work.

Croydonist: What does it mean to you to be exhibiting in a group art exhibition in Croydon in the year our borough is the London Borough of Culture?

Skye: It feels really exciting to be recognised as someone who is contributing to the arts in Croydon particularly as we are celebrating this currently!

Croydonist: What’s next for you this year/2024?

Skye: I’m hoping this year to really cement myself as an illustrator and still work with lots of communities.

See more of Skye’s work on her website and Instagram, and read a longer chat with her here on the Croydonist.

Miguel Sopena

Miguel is an artist and photographer originally from València, Spain, but now based in Croydon.

Miguel became an artist after completing his doctorate in theoretical Physics at Sussex University. He combined writing his thesis with a part-time Foundation programme in Art and Design at Brighton City College, then enrolled on a portraiture diploma at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, where he learnt about traditional oil painting and the human figure.

Soon after graduation Miguel started working in an abstract language. Gradually, Miguel’s practice became mainly abstract, exploring themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time, and with a focus on composition, colour, and the expressive possibilities of the materials he works with. 

Croydonist: How do you find being part of the creative scene in Croydon?

Miguel: It’s funny because I don’t think outsiders think of Croydon as a culture or arts hub, but there’s so much going on under the surface – so many artists based in the area and so much activity. It’s very exciting to be a part of that.

Croydonist: What does it mean to you to be exhibiting in a group art exhibition in Croydon in the year our borough is the London Borough of Culture?

Miguel: It’s a fantastic opportunity and a big morale boost. A massive thanks to all involved.

Croydonist: What’s next for you this year/2024?

Miguel: Same old – I’ll be in the studio as often as possible and try to produce the best work I can.

See more of Miguel’s work on his website, Instagram and Twitter, and read a longer chat with him here on the Croydonist.

Melanie Russell

Melanie graduated from an MFA in Fine Art from Slade School of Fine Art 2004 in London, where she now lives and works. Recent exhibitions include ‘A Generous Space 3’, Huddersfield Art Gallery, ‘Extraordinary Sketchbooks’ Mount House Gallery in Marlborough, ‘Contemporary British Watercolours’ Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery in Kent and ‘Jerwood Contemporary Painters’ touring exhibition across the UK. Russell was invited for a residency with Marlborough College, Wiltshire in 2006 and created a public commission for the Weymouth Hoardings Project alongside Dorset County Council in 2010. 

Croydonist: How do you find being part of the creative scene in Croydon? 

Melanie: I have had a studio with ASC Art House, Grafton Road for nearly 3 years and I’m 1 of over 100 artists, makers and designers there. Being part of a creative community is really important to me and at the studios there is a huge range of work and people at different stages of their careers so it’s really useful for any advice and opportunities. Also it’s just good to be able to have a chat and catch up as most of the time I work alone in my studio which could be quite isolating.

Croydonist: What does it mean to you to be exhibiting in a group art exhibition in Croydon in the year our borough is the London Borough of Culture?

Melanie: I’m delighted to be part of this year’s selection of Croydon Creatives especially during the year of culture, and I think the banners look amazing.

Croydonist: What’s next for you this year/2024?

Melanie: I have a two person show with another ASC (Brixton) artist opening next week at The woodfield Pavilion on Tooting Common. We’ll be showing new work made as a result of our residency there and we’ll be running some workshops too. After that I look forward to starting a new body of work.

See more of Melanie’s work on her website, Instagram and Twitter, and read a longer chat with her here on the Croydonist.

Thank you to Divya, Matt, Skye, Miguel and Melanie for chatting with us. Look up to see Creative Croydon around the town centre now. 

In situ photography by Glenn Foster, courtesy of Croydon BID.

Posted by Julia