Drawn towards (an exhibition of drawings)

An exhibition of graphic work by Simon Read:
My proposal for the exhibition at the Cut Gallery is that, rather than show a selection of studio work, I would focus primarily on drawing and more specifically upon drawing that is used as a means of exploring ideas and even more specifically laying stress upon work that has been carried out within this region.
My decision to do this was not just a matter of accessibility, but more to use it as a platform for how an artist can use work directly as a vehicle for exploration and engaging with contemporary issues, such as environmental change.
Over the last ten years I have increasingly sought ways in which I can actively contribute to this debate. Being based upon the Suffolk Coast in daily contact with a changing estuary landscape, means that I have a privileged insight, which I now feel that I can articulate through my relationship with the local community.
Now I find myself operating on many levels, my public role has expanded to put me on more committees than I would have initially imagined and I am energetically exploring ways that I can establish interdisciplinary collaborations in an academic context. It is always difficult to square this kind of involvement with the autonomy of an artist's practice. This is something that I cannot claim to have an answer for but have the conviction that, if pursued, it is bound to make sense.
To this end I have suggested that, rather than a finite show of work, this exhibition should be taken in the spirit of an open question.
(This text is a transcription from The Cut Arts Centre Spring diary of events for 2010)