Come, enjoy and celebrate all things Japanese and not-so-Japanese alike! In order to lend a small hand to those who have been affected by the 11 March earthquake in Japan, The Ladies of the Press* (Ana Čavić & Renée O’Drobinak), Tomoko Aoki and Jonathan Velardi, along with a number of Guest Artitsts (final list TBC) will be hosting a hands-on charity arts night packed with an art raffle, a live press desk making and printing zines on site, some baked goodness and a lot of red balloons! Artists, onlookers and friends will all be invited to join in, and even contribute some impromptu artwork. This is a long weekend event, with more events happening on Sunday 3 April – so if not Thursday night, why not pop by on your way to Spitalfields Market?
This show is inspired by one woman’s battle:In southern Miyagi prefecture, near the border to Fukushima, Renée O’Drobinak’s grandmother survived the earthquake and tsunami, with her house miraculously intact despite half the village being destroyed. While providing a temporary shelter for other family members, she has been hanging in there with no water, electricity, gas, and a very limited supply of food, though, the few times worried phonecalls from family in Tokyo reached her, she had wryly mentioned that her nose was a bit sniffly.
All proceeds will be donated to the Japan relief effort via the British Red Cross.
For those of you who cannot attend but would like to join in spirit, please do post a small piece of 2D work to the above address (3D works welcome if you can post/bring it over!) or pop the Ladies of the Press* an email with a submission for the zine at info@ladiesofthepress.org
