A painter at the other end of the spectrum is Tahnee Lonsdale (right), an introspective artist who paints what she thinks, not what she sees. Her work is a direct and highly personal representation of her life in London. “What I paint is a reflection of me and an expression of how I view the world”.

Lonsdale’s paintings are a patchwork of colour, layered with working and reworking, and smudges of charcoal writing, often wiped away with only traces visible. The very process of painting is inherent in her pieces, and the text-scarred surfaces record a history of each artwork. She explains text as thoughts spilling out of her head and onto the painting, often incoherent and barely visible.

The artist noticed the clarity with which she could view the London art scene through the exhibition. “Sometimes it is only possible to see something when you take it out of the box. This is how I feel about the London Calling show. It's difficult to see how our London art collective might be perceived when it is hanging in a gallery in London. The OCCCA show was like a small piece of a jigsaw puzzle removed from London and placed within the LA art world, it suddenly stands out more, has a more defined expression and definitely gains more attention.”

Silvia Krupinska is a sculptor born in Poprad, Slovak Republic, and has lived in London since the age of 18. Her work (right) utilizes recycled materials, including her own skin, tennis balls, hair, plaster and fruits. “The influence of new trends is visible faster in London, and the underground scene is strong as well. The artists in London, in my mind, have the confidence to express what they believe in.” For Krupinska, the essence is its variety and richness.

That’s the thing about our city, it’s so diverse in culture that there is a lot to be expressed at once. Krupinska noted that this means international art also has its portal via 'London Calling', with selected artists originating from Europe, Asia and South America as well as London. “That is what’s so special about London… the ability of artists to link and work together whatever their place of birth, creating the lively and strong message, like nowhere else. Together we are stronger!”

And certainly at present we can see more innovative and collaborative working in the arts, and creative solutions to opposing the diminution of diversity in UK art. Perhaps the most exciting thing about 'London Calling' as a collective of artists, is that in our climate of limited art funding they have come together and taken it upon themselves to promote and raise the profile of the London art scene overseas.

Gallery director Lisa Popp observed that whilst there seems little difference between the London and the Californian arenas, “the contrast lies in the support artists are given in the UK and the differentiation in government systems.” We can see the influence of this at times like the present where art funding is being shrunk all the time, and the space in which art and new ideas can be realized is becoming scarce, affecting how the artist flourishes or is challenged. But new ways of working are arising. Samir Ceric, Director of London’s Debut Contemporary, notes passionately: “I feel this is just the beginning of a very exciting project which has come out of this unique way of collaborating between Debut, artists and art professionals in the industry.”
I spoke with Nick Lisica, Director of Hudson Link (a boundary pushing LA based curatorial group and nomadic gallery) when he popped along to the private view. "Not only was it great to check out the London art scene, I was also able to establish a working relationship with a number of the artists, laying the groundwork for future collaborations" he said.

The richness London, of its art scene, as well as the challenges it presents, have been showcased beautifully in this compact survey of contemporary art in London, and it’s clearly not the last we have heard of this fledgling relationship forming between two distant places. I urge you, if you’ve not peeked at this show already, to see it for yourself on the links below.

Click here for a 3D walk-through of the exhibition
Click here to view the exhibition catalogue

London Calling
Address: OCCCA, 117 North Sycamore, Santa Ana, CA. 92701 USA

Website: www.occca.org

Words by Nicola Anthony
Images courtesy of Victoria Heald, Tinsel Edwards, Tahnee Lonsdale and Silvia Krupinska