Kates' Café by Kate Jenkins - Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery - from 6th June until 28th June
Kates' café is the latest exhibition to be shown in The Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery. The Gallery is renowned for its broad spectrum of contemporary arts and in this latest show the gallery celebrates its appreciation of the cutting edge modern art scene.
Created by artist Kate Jenkins Kates' Café features a a series of beautifully knitted artworks based on a café foods. The collection, which includes meticulously re-created fish and chips, fried breakfasts on knitted plates and knitted condiments such as tomato ketchup bottles and mustard pots are all framed as original art pieces.
Cake stands will be delicately stacked with perfectly knitted cakes and crocheted sugar coated mini doughnuts complete with knitted cups and saucers
Designer Kate Jenkins launched her label Cardigan in 2003 and since then the label has become synonymous with the creation of beautiful knitted and crocheted art, fashion and accessories with an emphasis on colour, texture and innovative quirky details. Jenkins also works as a knitting consultant and has previously sold designs to a wide range of clients including Marc Jacobs, Missoni and Donna Karan
Jenkins first made her name in the art world in 2007, after creating a series of knitted artworks based on a “greasy spoon” menu. These fabulously crafted original art pieces, formed an exhibition called Comfort Food the exhibition was followed with a new body of work called Soft Smokes. Inspired by the no-smoking ban, the exhibition featured a collection of knitted cigarette packets, papers and matches with brand names including Sewn Vesta, Woolboro and Fluffy Strike. After the success of the Comfort Food exhibition Kate was approached by the Art Group publishing company to create a series of greeting cards based on the crocheted food theme and has continued to work with them on a series of other ranges.
For her summer 2008 Open House show, Jenkins created Cardigan in Bloom, an inspired celebration of nature, it turned her showroom into a magical knitted garden. The show included a limited art collection inspired by an old Victorian specimen, featuring crocheted butterflies, beetles, bees and all kinds of knitted bugs, glistening with sequins, captured in box frames and pinned to canvas. From this exhibition Jenkins was asked by Liberty of London to create a small exhibition of box framed insects which were on display in their store during August 08
She also collaborated with Jon Link and Mick Bunnage the authors of Modern Toss to produce a knitted book cover which was displayed at Ink’d Gallery as part of the Modern Toss Exhibition 'Museum of urban shitniks'
Kate's Cafe will be Jenkins first solo exhibition in London and it embraces the individuality, innovation, technical accomplishment and beauty that the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery has become loved for.
