CALQ Residency Ambivalently Yours: 91 Days of Drawing

Ambivalently Yours
A 91-day drawing marathon

'I realized I was ambivalent in 2011, while working in the fashion industry and studying feminist art. Instead of ignoring the contradictory nature of my interests, I decided to embrace them, allowing myself to be comfortably conflicted, to be boldly undecided — to be Ambivalently Yours. I have since explored ambivalence in many different ways, the most successful of which has been through drawing. In the last few years, many of my drawings have been shared virally on social media sites like Tumblr and Instagram, inspiring my new-found online community to contribute their own ambivalence and feminist questions. In response, I have been illustrating the ambivalent feelings of others and posting these drawings on my Tumblr blog. My inbox is now full with over 300 pending messages, all of which I will attempt to answer during a 91-day drawing marathon set to begin this spring.'

From April to the end of June, the anonymous artist behind Ambivalently Yours will be our CALQ exchange resident artist. The goal of this residency is to fully commit to an online practice and attempt to respond to all the questions, comments and drawing requests that are sent in. Straddling a thin line between devotion and obsession, the entire process will be documented and shared via social media outlets such as Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Removed from the comforts and routines of everyday life, this displacement and isolation will help in the exploration of the boundaries and limits of a media that promotes social connection by concurrently encouraging isolation. Extended online availability may allow an expansion of practice and web-based interactions, but the failures that will inevitably occur in the ambitious task of being an omnisciently present Internet artist are also of interest .

'I have no doubt that feelings of solitude, mistakes and meltdowns are in my future, all of which I plan to document on this Tumblr page.'

For more information about this project, please visit: ambivalentlyyours.com; see drawings at ambivalentlyyours.tumblr.com and keep up to date with the project in Glasgow at 91 Days of Drawing.
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CCA is into its eighth year of an exchange programme with the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres in Quebec (CALQ). Each year one Scottish and one Quebecois artist engage in a three-month exchange. The exchange will focus on contemporary music (instrumental, electroacoustic and electronic music), sound installation, audio art, cinema, video and digital art.

Previous Scottish artists who have participated include Zoe Irvine (2006), Peter Dowling (2007), Mark Vernon (2008), Rob Kennedy (2009), Luke Collins (2010), Sheena Marie MacDougall (2011), Charlotte Prodger (2012) and Raydale Dower (2013), Marcin Knyziak (2014).