Bostin News: Meet Content Editor Anneka French
Portrait of Anneka French by Amy Holland
Bostin News: Meet Content Editor Anneka French
Tell us what you do.
Text forms the core of my artistic practice. Works are often autobiographical and concerned with places and people. New research is enabling experimental writing and research that layer found text, oral histories, poetry and short fiction.
My wider practice also includes independent curatorial work and art journalism for publications such as Art Quarterly and Photomonitor. I hold the roles of Curator at Coventry Biennial, Editorial Manager at contemporary art magazine ‘this is tomorrow’ and Director at regional visual arts network New Art West Midlands.
Why did you want to be a Bostin News Content Editor?
As an editor, curator and artist professional development expert, a key priority for me is in allowing diverse voices to be heard – encouraging and nurturing talent through support, critical feedback and brokering further professional relationships wherever possible. This is especially crucial at this time of crisis. As an artist/writer, the position additionally allowed me to test new ways to share my work with audiences online and in print.
How and why did you choose the people you commissioned?
The commissions were chosen on the strength of Rupi Dhillon, Caitriona Dunnett and Kaye Winwood's artistic practice as well as their innovative and positive approaches to adapting their work to the pandemic context. Each of them has been able to share this work with wider audiences, producing new writing that showcases their research and ideas.
Can you tell us a bit about the motivations for your own pieces?
'Gold Paint' is new semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical poem. It concentrates on some of the positive and creative aspects of my own personal domestic isolation situation – namely an intensive period of time with my two-year-old son Charlie at a time when his learning is rapidly developing. It explores his language development, the books we read every day, his play and his growing interests in nature and painting – as reminders, records and ways to re-focus my mind on small wonders at a time when the world is in crisis. ‘Gold Paint’ was one of my son’s new two-word phrases learnt during this period. I felt there was great potential in the phrase, and it acts as a jumping off point for new research that layers tangential reflections on colour, creativity, hope and imagination across contexts. 'To the Sea' is a shorter escapist poem, considering travel or the idea of travel within a time of restrictions.
Where can we find out more about your work? (Website / social media)
https://annekafrench.wordpress.com/
Instagram: @anneka.french
Here are Anneka’s pieces for Bostin News *Please note that this page will be updated as and when new content is added.
