experiment.
experiment.
experiment.
experiment.
experiment.
experiment. is an Online and Virtual Exhibition Open Call by Gallery Informal which invites artists to showcase their unfinished, sketches, scrapped or rejected experimental artwork.
21st of March to the 4th of April 2025
ARTISTS INVOLVED
milena makani
artist’s statement
Milena Makani, born in 1984 in Sofia, Bulgaria, is a German contemporary artist based in London, UK. Marked by gestural, expressionist and lyrical abstraction, Makani’s deeply psychological abstract paintings depict colorful inner landscapes. The characteristic layered textures, fluid forms, gradients and contrasts of her work have a distinctive visual language, inviting viewers into a space where feeling and exploration take precedence over form. Utilizing the unique attributes of various types of acrylics, watercolors and inks and their interactive properties on a mineral stone paper surface, Makani blends control and spontaneity in her painting practice through the interplay between intention, organic process and manipulation.
Makani lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a chronic, incurable condition and the source of constant pain and various disabilities. In a therapeutic, transformative process, her works address the visceral, cerebral and spiritual to channel mindfulness, gratitude and energy amid the complexities of the human condition. Guided by an intuitive connection to her inner world and rooted in curiosity and emotional interpretation of her lived experience, Makani investigates themes such as resilience, serenity, isolation, joy, stoicism and fragility.
The German artist has exhibited her work in London, United Kingdom and Byala, Bulgaria and her paintings are featured internationally in various private collections.
artworks
Chappel
Acrylic, watercolor, ink and salt on mineral stone paper
Everything but the kitchen sink
untitled
Acrylic, watercolor and ink on mineral stone paper
Triangle study
Cat and Mouse
Acrylic, watercolor, ink and pigment powder on mineral stone paper
Experiment with pigment powder
evgenia popova
artist’s statement
MY ARTWORK IS AN EXPLORATION OF THE QUESTIONS THAT SIT DEEPLY WITHIN. QUESTIONS THAT RARELY GET ANSWERED. I CREATE PIECES FULL OF ANXIETY AND FEAR. THERE ARE NO SIMPLE SOLUTIONS, ONLY FEELINGS THAT ARE OFTEN HIDDEN AWAY.
MY ART IS A COLLECTION OF IMAGINED WORLDS, WHERE TIME LEAVES ITS MARKS IN BLOODY, RUST-RED TRACES. WITHIN THEM DWELL BLURRED, DARK IMAGES — VULNERABILITY AND INNER PROHIBITIONS. WITH ENVELOPING FLAMES, I BRING THEM INTO THE REAL WORLD, USING MIXED TECHNIQUES.
I CAPTURE WHAT HURTS INSIDE. THE DISTORTIONS IN MY WORK ARE THE SENSATION OF DISCOMFORT, BEING CAUGHT BETWEEN RESTRICTIONS AND CURIOSITY, BETWEEN AVOIDANCE AND HONESTY WITH ONESELF.
I SHOW THE FEELINGS WE OFTEN TRY TO FORGET. HERE, AMIDST THE SHADOWS, ONE CAN CONFRONT THESE EMOTIONS FACE TO FACE, FEEL THEIR WEIGHT, AND DISCOVER SOMETHING IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY IN THIS EXPERIENCE.
artworks
UNTITLED#1
Digital Photography
This artwork was created as part of my project “WHAT”, dedicated to the search for self-identity. In this project, I attempted to capture a state of blurriness, uncertainty, and fragmentation of the self. It is a digital composition combining photography, textures, and graphic elements. The blurred faces, distortions, and layered structure evoke a sense of unclear perception, anxiety, and ruptures in consciousness. The interventions in the image give it a sense of fragility – as if it is assembled from fragments of memories, held together with tape and punctured with staples, yet still managing to hold itself together.
ayse erdil
artist’s statement
Using delicate line work and dreamy aesthetics, I create loose workings which combine organic textures with photo collage with themes of femininity, vulnerability and fauna/flora.
artworks
Venus Stretched Forwards
mixed media- graphite and digital print
self portrait- unfinished. using loose graphite linework and photo collage to juxtapose the delicate female frame with the harsh and strong yet fragile venus fly trap plant.
jacqueline white
artist’s statement
I am currently examining the effect of social media on the growing problem of low body image and general self esteem, predominantly caused by the inreasing use of AI generated filters. What is reality? It is getting increasingly difficult to judge. Is it leading to humans relying on filters to face the outside world.
artworks
Filter Hell
Acrylic with collage
A dis-membered female trying to escape the confines of the world of filters where we can choose a different face to show the world
zoë d timby
artist’s statement
My aim is to feel a connection and express that through different mediums. As a disabled person, I want to explore my limits and push through them to find something of substance, a reason for the time, effort and pain my body goes through to create my drawings and paintings. I am still struggling to find a sense of self, who is this new person I am? Making work and looking at it through the lens of my new physical capacity is a learning curve. One that’s showing me that I can still make something meaningful despite my limitations.
artworks
Wild child, she who has no limits.
Pencil ink crayon
The beginnings of a drawing of a small child. My child to be precise. One who watched mummy draw and as I went to make a cup of tea decided she would help. She was extremely proud of herself when she told me “mummy I help”. I’ve never been able to finish this piece, as I didn’t want to draw over that which my daughter had marked. It’s like a snippet of time has been captured and one which holds a dear if not frustrating memory.
xiao
artist’s statement
Xiaoping Yu (born in 2000) based in Edinburgh. She has completed her Master’s degree in Contemporary Art Practice at The University of Edinburgh. She believes that art knows no boundaries, so she is experimenting with various media. She makes sculpture, wall pieces, and installations in clay and resin. Her art concretizes the involuntary memories and emotions of the individual, revealing complexities that reflect existence, nature, history, and behaviour. One by one, the brushstrokes are scattered throughout the picture, encapsulating time and memories triggered by emotions and senses. Focusing on intricate details, her work aims to make the invisible visible, exploring the deep connections between herself and the world.
artworks
Veins of the Mirror
Wood, Air-dry clay, resin, paint
‘Veins of the Mirror’ is a sculptural exploration of the complex relationship between humanity and the land. Its distorted, cracked surface represents an ailing landscape marked by geological scars and disasters, embodying nature’s silent resistance against human interference. The deep red textures evoke the flow of blood, symbolising the land’s vitality intertwined with its fragility.
charlotte jane wilkinson (cjw)
artist’s statement
As an illustrator I enjoy capturing people and places in the moment, Making quick, informed decisions allow me capture the mood at the time. These drawings are my most recent experiments on how I can elevate the original drawings into something new.
artworks
The Piano Bar
Graphite with digital finishing
Taking drawings from my sketchbook and digitally playing around with colour and shading attempting to elevate my drawings to the next level.
lily harris
artist’s statement
Lily Harris is an audio-visual artist exploring the fine line between intimacy and discomfort. Her work focuses on eating noises—chewing, swallowing, lip-smacking—taking a private act and making it loud, unavoidable, and unsettling. By stripping eating of its usual warmth, she forces the audience to confront the raw, unfiltered sounds of the body.
Using immersive video and sound, Harris turns an everyday action into something alien and intrusive. She challenges how we experience bodily autonomy and personal space, making people aware of sensations they usually ignore. Her work doesn’t just document eating; it amplifies and distorts it, creating an experience that is impossible to escape. Through discomfort, she forces a deeper engagement with the body and its sounds.
artworks
Mastication of Gherkins
Digital work
A screenshot of a multi-screen audio-visual work depicting a woman eating a gherkin. A comment and personification of sorts of the discomfort that comes from misophonia and hearing people eating. This is a discarded work, a trial piece that didn’t go to plan.
ethan sheridan
artist’s statement
Hi there I’m Ethan!
A young photographer based in Leeds.
I specialise in fashion, portraiture, and videography, making short films.
I like exploring class, gender, sexuality and use the medium to reflect my personal feeling and expression- using lighting setups, tone and mood, to evoke the feelings I experience.
artworks
#13
Medium format film
Part of an experimental series exploring my personal struggles with mental health, my own queerness and experience of youth
#22
Medium format film
Part of an experimental series exploring my personal struggles with mental health, my own queerness and experience of youth
ashley jade jupiter
artist’s statement
I’m intrigued by the artistic mind. An unsettled, complex, wonderfully mad thing that never seems to stop ticking. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I attempt to peel back the curtain in each work to reveal some element of the artistic process. A large portion of my poetry is written on a typewriter, then scribbled over with mistakes left clearly visible to the reader. In this way, it feels as though the reader / viewer and I are seated next to one another, intimately exploring the work together.
‘The Artist’s Way’, explores the use of unlimited expression, allowing a racing mind off the leash to create free of judgment and self-criticism. It’s an ode to the childlike nature of boundless play.
“Heal with words. Express with hands.”
artworks
The Artist’s Way
Clay, Canvas, Shell, Acrylic
A mixed media piece that explores the vitality of childlike play, combining the forces of nature and the artistic mind.
The Artist’s Way
Poetry
A mixed media piece that explores the vitality of childlike play, combining the forces of nature and the artistic mind. An accompanying poem that serves as an ode to all artists of the Earth.
fatma durmush
artist’s statement
I love to paint and it is me here and there painting the scene and making marks and as I age I make another thing I am not here I am elsewhere in the land of the noddy.
artworks
Searching for the light
Is This a Joke