Liam Hart — Cel del Nord

Liam Hart is a painter from Gloucester, UK. We talked during his Virtual Residency, which took place amid the quarantine that was put in place for Covid-19.

What are you working on at the moment?

‘Inflation’, Liam Hart, 8x12 Oil on Canvas, 2020

I’ve been working on a number of paintings, trying to experiment by exploring colour and seeing what comes out. I’m interested in a multi-sensory dialogue – trying to invoke more than one sense through a painting – the sensations of touch and smell. How do I communicate those, inoke them in the viewer through paint? That’s what I’m thinking about.

I haven’t had the time to experiment this way until now, during quarantine. I normally also work in retail, and teach watercolour and drawing, so while I’m not doing a forty-five hour week, I’m trying to use the time for something positive.

What was it like to finish uni and be launched into the world as an artist?

After my BA I felt totally unprepared for the journey. I left uni and the idea of becoming an artist just felt unrealistic. No one around me seemed available to offer guidance. But I was lucky to find an opportunity to do a residency in Cheltenham, and my work was shown alongside Ai Weiwei. After that I spent a year and a half applying to things, including a scholarship in New York, which I got. It wasn’t possible in the end because I couldn’t fund my living costs, even though the school part was covered. I’m one of seven kids, so there isn't that kind of money to fall back on in my family. I wrote to over one hundred charities asking for financial support to go, but nothing came through.

It worked out though, because after I had to turn that down I visited the place I was supposed to be going to, the school in New York, and I had this sensation when I went inside, a kind of repulsion. I don’t know what to say, I just despised it. I can’t explain it, but I realised it had never been for me, and felt okay about it.

I did a part time MA at Goldsmiths instead which with hindsight was a better option. Post MA was a slightly different situation. After studying there a body of work started to appear. I felt confident enough to apply for teaching work, and ideas were beginning to reveal themselves to me.

How do you see success, when you think about it as a part of your future?

I’m hoping that this is a moment to build a presence as an artist. I’m also hoping to do a PhD, art from a psychological, neuroscientific and sociological perspective. I think there needs to be a change in art education. When I left Goldsmiths I was really poor. I’d worked two jobs as well as doing my studies to survive in London, and I left with no idea about artist statements, the competition out there, or any sense of the art community or being part of a community. Art education, done better, could focus on careers in art that are not limited to being an artist, with a little bit more honesty about the competition too. There’s so much more out there.

What is your normal working ritual?

My ritual has changed since the virtual residency. It used to be about working for deadlines and competitions and now it’s changed – it’s about finding competitions for the work that exists. Upbeat music helps because the work is detailed. It gives me a push, because it can feel like I haven’t done much in a long space of time, sometimes.

I make a list every day, and I work from about nine to six. Within that time I find working in time slots helps. My studio at the moment is in the family home, and every now and then my dad or brother will come in and have a look. It’s nice to get an opinion from someone who has no idea about it.

What would you like to be doing this time next year?

I visualise hanging my work in an exhibition, a solo show. I’d like to have a body of work, and to continue down the route towards a PhD. It’s go hard or go home really, isn’t it.

Follow Liam Hart on Instagram @_liam_hart