<p><a href="http://www.ashantihare.com">Ashanti Hare</a>’s work explores the duality of life as both a human being and a spiritual entity. Combining digital manipulation, folk craftsmanship and writing, Ashanti often explores the boundaries between cultural identity and spiritual entity through sensory experiences that include tactility, scent and moving image. Their ongoing research is motivated by underlying references to pop culture, witchcraft, literature and music.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Based in London and Plymouth, Ashanti’s current research explores how colonial history, particularly in the South West, and cultural identity intersect. Spiritualism and folk practices serving as the foundation for their research, Ashanti seeks to create a body of work that focuses on the intricacies of dual heritage, particularly how Caribbean and African spiritualism intertwines with British history.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Through the use of traditional craft practices such as textiles and ceramics, Ashanti creates tapestries and sculpture that retell Caribbean and African folklore, spellwork and history while reflecting popular culture specific to Black Britishness. Using the South West as the backdrop for this research, Ashanti aims to invite new conversations around contemporary ideas and attitudes to spiritualism and occult practices within art spaces.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Ashanti has been a featured artist on the <a href="https://dorecollective.com/creatives-corner/2021/6/29/featured-artist-ashanti-hare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dore Art Collective</a> and was commissioned as part of the open call for <a href="https://mirrorplymouth.com/projects/hammer-to-shape-mouth-open" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hammer to Shape, Mouth Open</a> artwork to feature on public gallery <a href="https://mirrorplymouth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIRROR</a>’s website home page. They have since won the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/award-winning-graduates-at-arts-university-plymouths-summer-shows-2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KARST Graduate Residency</a>, a six-month artist residency at KARST studios, at this year’s Summer Shows Awards. </p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/ashantihare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.instagram.com/ashantihare</a><br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.liambrooks.art" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Liam Brooks</a> is a Plymouth based multidisciplinary artist whose work navigates themes influenced by the unknown, ephemeral and “what if?”.<br /></p>

<p>Liam’s work takes the form of sculpture and installations achieved through a process-led research approach with his creative practice often connecting to the body and its state or presence within space and time.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Liam’s current work traverses through a reflective journey as his growth as an emerging artist, developing works that use fragile mediums, such as thin plastic sheets, needing a rounded technical balance to achieve the resolved outcome. His fascination with inflatables was formed from his interest in repurposing materials continuously developing from his research practice.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/liambrooks_art/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.instagram.com/liambrooks_art</a><br /></p>

<p><a href="https://libbygfox.wixsite.com/libby-fox-artist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Libby Fox</a> is a multidisciplinary artist with a practice focussing on sculpture, performance, film, ceramics and found objects. Throughout her artistic education, she has been fascinated with the body and her works have explored shapes, meanings and processes of the human form with a view to understanding its complexities.</p>

<p dir="ltr">In recent projects, she has focused on viewing the body and mind as separate entities. This led to work exploring the ideas of the body as a vessel and how exploration of this concept can lead to changed perceptions of the person as a whole.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Having recently found her passion in ceramics, clay has become a major part of her practice, sometimes as the subject and at other times, the medium. Libby plans to run her own pottery studio upon graduating, eventually offering such services as one to one workshops, in-school impact days and live demonstrations.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/libbys_art_stuff/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.instagram.com/libbys_art_stuff</a></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/real_and_unreal_art/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carola Salvadori</a> is a conceptual emerging artist whose practice examines the heterotopic nature of reality according to French philosopher Michel Foucault. Her particular interest is the juncture where the disciplines of art, science and philosophy meet within an analogue environment.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Carola explores multi-disciplinary responses to past ideas and discoveries as well as current developments in quantum physics. She creates non-digital multimedia installations that ask the observer to explore current realities and consider alternatives.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Carola has just been accepted to undertake a PhD at University of Plymouth, exploring the possibility of heterotopias linking work by the artist Marcello Salvadori during the 1960s with current developments in quantum physics and the idea of multiple realities.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/real_and_unreal_art/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.instagram.com/real_and_unreal_art</a><br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.stella-olivier.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stella Olivier</a> is an Italian-German visual artist based in Plymouth, UK. Influenced by historical mimesis, post-internet theories and the mundane, she creates surreal works that reflect on escapist cycles within the history of art and design. Drawing on the hidden connections between digital semiotics and antiquary, she merges artefacts, old architectural structures and scenes from her day-to-day life to build digital collages. Her work appears both foreign and familiar.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">During her time at Arts University Plymouth, Stella was shortlisted for a Venice Biennale Fellowship programme by the British Council and Arts University Plymouth, her work was exhibited during ‘<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/tate-britain-gallery#:~:text=Tate%20Collective%20Producers%20present%20the,British%20Caribbean%20art%20and%20culture." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Late At Tate Britain - LIFE BETWEEN ISLANDS</a>’ and Stella was selected for a Tate Exchange brief that turned into a <a href="https://mirrorplymouth.com/projects/tate-exchange-student-responses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social project aimed at revitalising Plymouth's Soup Corner</a>. Stella’s designs have twice been published as <a href="https://shop.tate.org.uk/stella-olivier-all-that-they-could-pick-up-on-their-screens-was-snow-christmas-cards-pack-of-6/25564.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christmas cards sold nationally by Tate</a>, she won a 12-month internship with <a href="https://www.elegantclutter.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elegant Clutter</a> as part of the Art Story Student Competition and Stella has also acted as a Steward for <a href="https://we-are-low-profile.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Low Profile</a> and guide for Plymouth’s <a href="https://realideas.org/about-us/our-work/illuminate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Illuminate</a> light festival. Stella was a participant in the <a href="https://www.aych.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Atlantic Youth Creative Hubs</a> business incubation programme, her <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/another-crossing-on-remembrance-myths">reviews</a> have been published on the Arts University Plymouth website and the university has also commissioned her as a freelance graphic designer.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Her work is oftentimes connected to fictional narratives that capture the philosophical questions that emerge in our digital hyperconnected, fast pace shareable and all knowing online lives. Olivier’s most recent project centres on layered memory, the digital gaze and the history of stone within international urban design.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/oliv.st" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.instagram.com/oliv.st</a><br /></p>