ARTWASH / R.U. —making art in unconventional spaces and context, and exploring the Rural and Urban!
"The ENCC gives me hope, especially in Brexit times, and a wider perspective on ways of working together! Valuable work and brilliant people. Dank-U !", Kay Sentance, ArtWash / R.U. Founder.
ArtWash / R.U. started as an inter-social meeting space in a working Launderette. On the 20th of every month the Launderette became a venue. Artists would transform the space with their work, performance or debate. The public would encounter these events either by chance, as they did their washing, or on purpose. It became a place to gain feedback as an artist but also to experience art in a non-art space. In 2009 Artwash / R.U. moved to different spaces such as Chinese takeaways, centre for the blind and also became an art delivery service for performance art in private homes. ArtWash / R.U. is still exploring art in everyday public spaces such as buses or with the Horsebox gallery that can be transported. Especially after and because of the impact of COVID-19, the focus of Artwash / R.U. has now expanded to explore the Rural and Urban (R.U). The approach of using non-art spaces is still the same but with a wider reach that includes Rural and Urban spaces: ArtWash / R.U. explores how these landscapes are evolving in a digital age, the role that contemporary art plays in rural areas and how Art interventions make intersocial links. They work in partnership with Modern Art Oxford and OVADA.
Main expertise: Impact of cultural activities