Arts

Mark and Ged are the men behind Kitch-en.

"Kitch-en - is an art and design company based in Middlesbrough, and we blur the boundaries between what is seen to be art and what is design.

"We're a multi-disciplined 2 man team backed up by an informal collective of very talented creative guys and gals – including animators, illustrators, artists, writers and designers.

"We like things a little different from the normal offerings of consumer culture and have been described by many as being quirky, individual, offbeat, ambitious and a little wild at times with unlimited skills in art, design and concept creation.

"Kitch-en is soon to be an independent space in Middlesbrough town centre, situated just behind Mima, and is made up of three sections:

The gallery

"The gallery is a contemporary 'white cube' space that will be used to exhibit local and regional artists.

"Throughout July and August we will be exhibiting our own work - a collection of abstract & urban paintings, drawings, photographs and installation pieces, and from September onwards we will putting out a call to local and regional artists to exhibit in the gallery.

"There will be a formal selection process to ensure only the highest quality of work is exhibited."

The studio

"This is a place for us to get messy and produce our unique artworks, t-shirts, badges, prints, artist books.

"We will also be operating our design studio from this space, offering graphic design solutions for screen and print, art direction and marketing concepts."

"The only place in town stocking a unique range of specialist art & design magazines and books along with limited edition artist books, prints, postcards, greeting cards, badges, stickers, t-shirts, and we'll also be selling artist materials such as canvas, paints, paper and card.

"Kitch-en has ambitions to expand over the next two years into the kitch-en Art House – a complete complex of creatives, which will become integrated into the creative cluster of the BoHo Zone."

Why have you decided to open a space?

"Quite simply, we wanted a place to showcase our work, our ideas and our talent – as well being able to support and showcase all the other talented individuals in the area.

"We started out nearly a year ago as 2 friends – one was a recent graphic design graduate with a passion for all things art and design, the other a self taught artist with a passion for painting and expressing himself through his art.

"Through various design projects and networking events we discovered a wealth of creative talent that were keen to stick around in the town and not just bugger off down south.

"We set out to express our art and design work, but have since taken on somewhat of a leading role in revitalizing Middlesbrough’s art and creative scene, and we will continue to do so, hopefully encouraging others to undertake their own ventures.

What does the future hold?

"We have dreams of creating an “art house” a place where all creatives can work, rest and play under one roof.

"We believe strongly in the cross over between all creative forms – music, art, design, writing, and we know that Middlesbrough is right for us as it is full of potential, full of hidden talent that needs a voice.

"It has also been an ideal ‘clean slate’ for us to develop our innovative ideas. We are constantly seeking new ways of getting art and design seen and accessible to the public.

"We are hoping through this venture we will expand our informal collective, encourage others to take forward their own projects, as well as providing essential opportunities for local and regional artists to display and sell work.

"If Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds can all regenerate themselves and become creative hubs why can’t Middlesbrough?"

For information on the Kitch-en space, check our the 'see also' section.