Roger Ackling at CHELSEA space in 2011

CHELSEA space was very sad to hear that the artist Roger Ackling passed away on Thursday 5th June 2014.

placing

Roger made a very memorable solo exhibition at CHELSEA space in 2011 entitled Down To Earth

Down To Earth

CHELSEA space Director Donald Smith said “Roger was an internationally renowned artist and an inspiring educator who will be greatly missed; he was generous, intelligent, supportive, and quietly mischievous. Roger came to me when he first became ill and said he had decided to retire from teaching at Chelsea College of Arts and that he would like to do a show with me at CHELSEA space. He asked if it could be at the same time as the BA graduation show so that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with his students and have his work ‘examined’!”

an art of smoke?

Donald continued “Roger made his work by burning lines made up of tiny dots with a magnifying glass. He would work on driftwood and discarded, weathered, materials often found on coastal walks near his home in Norfolk. The work was often quite small and he said that he could sometimes fit a whole exhibition in his pocket. His pockets, by the way, were usually in jackets made by his friends at Old Town in Holt, Norfolk; Roger was singly responsible for introducing many London based artists to this particular brand of British workwear - including me! He made very distinctive objects but he would sometimes say that he wondered if the smoke was actually the artwork. He was a lovely man, our thoughts are with his wife, Sylvia.”

Roger Ackling with his installation at CHELSEA space in 2011

Roger Ackling’s burial will be on Monday 16 June at 2pm at Weybourne Cemetery, Sheringham Road, Norfolk NR25 7AH. All are welcome to attend and participate. A celebration of Roger’s life will be held at Annely Juda Fine Art at a later date to be announced.