"Kate" Figurine, 2019, found ceramic and paint. Photo by Leila Houston ​

MINISCULE Curated by Vanya Balogh in association with Crosslane Projects
This visit to Venice was the best work trip I've had to Venice! In terms of meeting other artists and curators and showing next to so many amazing art works!  
The standard of the work was so high, it was clear that there was a lot of thought gone into the curation of the show and how each artist approached their minuscule art works.   Many artists visiting, I have met before in other groups shows Vanya has invited us to be involved in. So lovely to meet again and discuss what we have been up to and plans for future projects. During my 6 day stay I met people from the collective to visit other openings with and exclusive evenings of the Biennale, whilst also getting to know other artists/ curators I haven't met before, at one point lording it up in a Palace with chandeliers, sweeping marble staircases, food and drink offered along a very long table,  huge old paintings and old mirrors the size of one of my living room walls at home.

Vanya in my mind is an amazing curator bringing a group of serious artists together from a wide spectrum of the globe, a creative community who are continually building and enforcing projects and future collaborations, offering an exhibit to the wide number of vistors. This show was thought to hold 1000 visitors on the opening and in the first 5 days a further 800 visitors !  

I was really proud to have my work next to other highly respected artists Ai Wei Wei, Gavin Turk, Eva Raboso, Ann Grim, Mark Woods, Rebecca Scott and the late Nancy Fout.

The space was perfect with one wall decayed brick in keeping with Venice throughout and two white walls and a full window facing the water. The space felt right for the work, the inconstant walls worked with a variety of forms, personally speaking a curators dream and you could tell Vanya must of loved finally getting these work in their suited positions!

I couldn't of chosen a better space for my sculpted/ carved coal like swan, Vesta: made with love and hate stood proud at the end of a shelf facing the room from the back , the fire like swan wings outstretched, dominating its little corner. The work was made to work with this year Biennale theme, May you live in interesting times, an imagined idea from Vesta matches, I wanted to create a timeless object, with swans being prehistoric and fire being mans important first discoveries i thought of an ancient time when someone created a swan from coal or burnt stone thinking about how the advertised image on swan matches later once appeared. Inventing an imagined history. The swan is in keeping with recent works looking at common home ornaments in Britain and social political considerations .  
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Memorable artworks this year at the Biannalle 

Christian Marclay 48 war movies. 

Travels so far in Venice.....

''Bumper Balletis a new installation of media art collective DROPSTUFF.nl and the latest addition to the ongoing artistic project The Fair Grounds, where an amusement ride doubles as an ‘art installation’ and a vendor doubles as a ‘performer’.'' click here for more info

Saw this amazing, well thought out performance at the Opening of The Parents Bedroom by Elisabeth von Samsonow @ Spazio Ridotto . It delivered the magic and wonder i recognised in my self as a child, picking up the possessions and ornaments as in wonder and studying them and the feeling and sensation of doing this as if it were a gift wrapped for a birthday.  I found she was exploring something from an angle id forgotten about when looking at objects as a child and looking at my own approch to ornaments and child hood and play in my own work.  

For more information about the exhibition visit here defiantly worth a visit with with art work, assemblage that appears like it an opening to a theatre with a curtain rolled p and a photograph (of a belonging/ object)  below. Also there is video which is also worth a watch of a performance realised in Munich in a public space and documented by Juergen Teller. ​

To end the evening we attended ​L`Ombra del Leone Cafe San Marco and enjoyed the offering of food and wine and conversations with other artists and curators. 

 dreamland memento, lost objects, timeless creation, worked on objects, sculpted and carved, crude,  raw,  coal, flame, forever stone,  Goddess of hearth , to break, to split, divide, give away, isolate....  ​

​''May You Live In Interesting Times''

Showing at Miniscule, Venice Fondamenta Sant'Anna
11th May - 21st July 2019 58th Venice Biennale

​studio developments Dec 2018- march 2019 (click images to enlarge) 

A small selection photographs I was commissioned to take for Leicester art week.

​Engaging as an artist with other artists, the events, venues, art work and audience. 

Please get in touch if you wish to employ an artist photographer. Will charge a fee depending on budget- leilahouston392@gmail.com 

Thankyou to everyone involved with Leicester Art week and special thankyou to Khush Kali for the oppertunity.