Series 2 - Episode 3: Art in the Time of Quarantine - Ben Edge

Hello. Welcome back to Series 2 of Art on a Podcast - the podcast from the not-for-profit organisation Art on a Postcard. In this series Art in the Time of Quarantine, we’ll be having some exclusive conversations with artists, gallerists and art curators. In these times of social distancing and isolation we seek to connect over art and find out how those dedicated to putting art out into the world are negotiating these hard times. During the podcasts we delve into their work and practice, in an attempt to take your minds off of the news and back onto creative endeavors. This series we have Patrick Hughes, Donata Wenders, Dario Illari and many more. Most of the podcasts are recorded telephone conversations for obvious reasons. In this episode our host Rosa Torr interviews artist Ben Edge to discuss his unique painting practice. Ben’s work focusses on what he calls the indigenous Anglican traditions shrouded in folklore and ancient mythology that celebrates mother earth and where people use costume, dance, music, storytelling, in the tiny pockets of modern society that continue to celebrate those traditions. They discuss how Ben has travelled up and down the country investigating these traditions and has found himself immersed in their practices, his paintings often depict people dressed as plants or ancient mythological creatures, in the settings in which he finds them. If you have any thoughts on today’s episode or you’d like to share what you’ve been up to to stay creative during quarantine then please do get in touch at rosa.torr@hepctrust.org.uk. Enjoy and happy quarantine!