Kate Bassett
Artist Statement
My work examines the fun and reckless working-class lifestyle and environment of urban council estates, mostly situated on streets and within domestic interiors. These spaces are often filled with gatherings of people, dogs and abandoned vehicles, all of which are motifs in my work. I portray the careless, spontaneous and casual behaviour and attitudes of the people within the spaces.
The fact that I come from this kind of background helps to inform the personal and honest nature of the work. I feel this is permitted through my personal understanding of the environment and its people.
I develop ideas for my work by studying drawings and photographs of streets and communal gatherings. The work is often melancholy yet humorous. This is reinforced by my drawing style which gives a theatrical and dramatic sense of space.
I am a dedicated printmaker working primarily in the intaglio processes of collagraph and drypoint. These techniques require physicality and demand a ‘hands on’ approach to which I respond well.
Recently, the works of William Hogarth, Pieter Bruegel, Jan Steen, L.S Lowry and Martin Parr have informed me as they documented and sometimes parodied the environment in which they lived. I also try to record the situations I’ve witnessed in a critical yet sympathetic way. It is important for me to externalise experiences about working-class areas.
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