Chichester coffee shop to become 'locally curated art space'

A Chichester coffee shop will become a 'locally curated art space' to support local artists, the shop manager has said.
From the left: Ed and Ross from the coffee shop with Chichester artists Sam and BeloFrom the left: Ed and Ross from the coffee shop with Chichester artists Sam and Belo
From the left: Ed and Ross from the coffee shop with Chichester artists Sam and Belo

Coffee Lab in Cathedral Courtyard, Southgate has already invited in the works of two Chichester based artists into the shop, one of which already features in the store.

Coffee Lab manager, Ross Shackelford said: "My idea for the locally curated art space was back when we had art previously on the walls. We had this amazing artwork but non of the artists would ever come into the shop, there was a hug divide between the shop and the art in the shop.

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"Knowing the community that uses the shop and the amount of talented artists and creatives we have it felt almost criminal to add ourselves to the list of organisations not supporting the local scene."

Sam Mcgann, 38, of Washington Street said he had known he wanted to be an artist from the age of nine. Sam's latest work, 'Flat Life' features a bull with a coffee and hangs at the far end of the coffee shop.

He said: "I do my own kind of character called Le Roi Des Nuls which translates to the King of Nothing. I have bipolar and [my art] is to do with balance. This piece in particular is something I had the idea of doing in here I was sat have a coffee so I drew him with a coffee and as it turned out, the heart shape on the coffee is the same shape as the nose on the bull.

"I like to use my work as a bit of awareness for mental health. I'm currently doing an MA in Fine Art at Chichester University and I have a plan to do one in Art and psycho therapy so it all comes into that — that will be me coming full circle and then working in the field.

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"I feel its great to have somewhere to put artwork up so it's just nice to have a platform to show something."

Twenty-three-year-old Belo lives in St Pancras and will feature his latest work, titled 'Charge'.

He said: "It's pretty much made in oil and resin and it will be five layers of resin. It's a massive circular representation of a coffee cup but with the painting I got inspired from what this place represents for me — a place to charge a little bit.

"You will be able to see in the painting there is a connection to technology I guess and you will be able to see a couple in the painting."

In the past, Sam and Belo held a collaborative exhibition at The Electric Lady tattoo studio in the Hornet.

See the artists Instagram pages here: Le Roi Des Nuls - Belo