Our second exhibition at Port sees Eastbourne based JFK Turner showcase a collection of art made from found objects, that take on new life and form.

His exhibition at Port includes a body of existing work, alongside new work – unveiled for the first time at Port.

Seen throughout the restaurant and bar area, JFK Turner’s exhibition will run from November 2021 until April 2022.

We caught up with Turner to tell us more about his practice and the dichotomy of his process, and we couldn’t let him go without asking him to share some of his favourite spots in Eastbourne and the surrounds.

What inspires your art?

All my paintings are based on found objects - things people have discarded and forgotten about. They can be really mundane things – rubber bands, crushed packaging, broken fragments of plastic – anything! I create images of these objects from non-artistic materials – household paints, wax, varnish found materials. I am interested in what images are and how we depict the three-dimensional world on a flat surface. I take the original objects and depict them in a whole variety of ways including simplification of a form, isometrics or reverse perspective.

What is your process with creating your art?

I impose my own limitations on my artist practice (I even have a manifesto). These limitations include - only basing my work on found objects, using non artistic materials and working in a sequence. Limitations actually open you up to new approaches and creative solutions you wouldn’t explore otherwise. I work on wood which allows the surface to be attacked and the paintings reveal how they were constructed. The final object is not only an image - it is a physical thing.

How has your practice evolved over time?

I have been dealing with the same themes of found objects and exploring the potential of unusual materials to construct images for over 25 years. My work goes in and out of fashion – but I don’t pay much attention – I just get on with the work.

What kind of art do you most identify with?

I am interested in the history of images rather than art. What we call or class as art continuously changes but the need to make images is instinctive. This means I can take inspiration from found doodles, a piece of worn graphics, a roman mosaic or a pixelated computer game graphics – they are all images up for grabs. I do have a particular interest in late mediaeval art and early modernism – which seem connected to me.

What words would you use to describe your art?

Humble, Pretentious, Chaotic, Ordered…

Tell us a bit about the pieces exhibited at Port

John Peel once said about The Fall ‘They are always different, they are always the same’. I am not for a minute comparing myself to The Fall, but hopefully there is an element of that to my work. I do see the work as a long-term study and a body of work influenced by my own set parameters. However, I do try to add new elements, materials, forms etc – I have more ideas than I have time to complete the work. Some of these paintings have been completed during the past 18 months and are some of the first I have completed since the start of the pandemic. I am also creating some brand-new work just for this show.

“I am interested in humble everyday things and the materials used are humble (household paint, old cardboard, varnish and wax etc). ”

What are you currently working on?

I am always working – either sketching ideas, collecting objects and materials and preparing frames – it is continuous. I have hopefully got a few solo shows on the horizon for 2022 and 2023 (around the UK) and so I am slowly producing work for these. They range from small A5 pieces, 30 cm square pieces along with a series of larger pieces.

Do you have a favourite artist of all time?

I am fascinated with images from all periods but I do have a special place for Byzantine icons and worn advertising sign. They have a worn physicality and a sense of age and are also made on, and out of, more unusual materials. At art school my first loves were Dada, Kurt Schwitters, Anonio Tapies and Robert Rauschenberg – again their use and combination of the everyday to reflect the work around them. More contemporary artists that influence me are often sculptors (especially their works on paper) - these include Cornelia Parker, Rachel Whiteread and Phyllida Barlow.

How long have you lived in Eastbourne and what do you love about it?

I am originally from the northwest and that weathered post-industrial landscape has influenced my aesthetic to this day. I moved to the south coast in the late 1990’s – originally to Brighton and then to Eastbourne. The sea, and the endless horizon, is what drew me to the south coast. I love the point where the downs meet the sea – there really aren’t many places where that happens and it is beautiful. I also like the mix of faded Victorian seaside grandeur mixed with 1950’s/60’s flats – many with original features and signage. There are some areas where it is like time travelling back to 1956 as you walk around the town. I take many photographs that also influence the marks and textures in my work – Eastbourne is great for that too!

Share your top three places to visit in Eastbourne and/or surrounds?

I love records and often make my work listening to music. ‘Not Just A Record Shop’ in Seaside and ‘Coastal Records’ (opposite the equally brilliant ‘Camilla’s Bookshop’ on Grove Road, Little Chelsea) are proper, old school vinyl record shops where you can browse for hours and lost gems can be found.

The south coast has a great art trail too – from the Towner in Eastbourne, The De La Warr in Bexhill, Hasting Contemporary, to the brilliant 11th Century Byzantine and Romanesque influenced wall paintings by The Lewes Group. Lewes itself if a great town – especially my wife’s beautiful shop – ‘From Victoria’ – the best shop in town!

More of Turner’s work can be viewed here.

Port Calls JFK Turner