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Upcoming Exhibitions
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Upcoming Exhibitions
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Articles> In The Frame: Norwich
Future
Turner Prize Winners?
Being a Norwich resident myself, I am pleased to say that the city’s
contemporary art scene seems to be blossoming. A number of exciting venues
have sprung up in recent years to support the work of innovative artists from
the Eastern region, such as Norwich Outpost Gallery and Art 18/21 (the latter
kindly hosted my debut exhibition in the city last Autumn.) These and other
venues provide a steady stream of events for art lovers and, even as I write,
the Norwich Art Collective, Other Other Other, is hosting the region’s
first Live Art Festival, Live East. By the time you read this, though, Contemporary
Art Norwich will be upon us, a citywide celebration of international contemporary
visual art. CAN09 promises to deliver a wide range of innovative and thought-provoking
visual art forms rarely seen in the UK outside of central London. Below are
a few exhibitions and events to scribble in your diary:
EASTinternational
Norwich University College of the Arts
13 July- 22 August
This open submission exhibition is renowned for previewing future Turner Prize
winners. The work on display is always varied and often surprising, reflecting
the breadth of creative pursuits that now fall under the umbrella of visual
art.
This year promises to be no exception, encompassing drawing, digitally-rendered
images, films and installation amongst other art forms. There is often a conceptual
slant to the work on display although, for my money, the best conceptual art
always has an immediate visual interest that encourages the viewer to invest
time and thought into what they are looking at.
This is certainly the case with one of this year’s selected artists,
Corin Sworn. In her recent exhibitions she has combined memorabilia, beautiful
drawings, posters and videos to create ‘an institutional, scientific
display of cultural artefacts; a constellation of images and memorabilia that
represent subjective memory as much as they ape an historical museum.’
Another way of describing her work might be to say that Sworn presents us
with a mind map, charting the artist’s personal interests and her research
into particular aspects of modern history.
Take a Look at Me Now: Contemporary Art from Poland
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
2 June – 30 August 2009
Following on from the recent show on Chinese contemporary art, the Sainsbury
Centre now turns its attention to Poland, exploring both the artists and the
infrastructure that underpins the country’s contemporary scene. Much
like East International, the artworks are extremely varied in both media and
content, encompassing painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography and video.
The works aim by turns at being thoughtful, provocative, humorous and beautiful.
One standout from the exhibition is the paintings of Adam Adach. Typical of
the magpie approach adopted by many artists in our information saturated age,
his works are based on a rich variety of sources ranging from found and personal
photos to illustrations from books and magazines.
The references within his imagery are equally eclectic and ambiguous, ranging
from world wars through to personal childhood memories. His painting style
also contains an appealing mix of loose and precise paint-work, which seems
to draw on a mix of Expressionist and Constructivist styles in a similar manner
to the doyens of our contemporary British art scene such as Dexter Dalwood
and Peter Doig.
If Postmodernism, or Altermodernism - as the phrase was recently revised for
the Tate Triennial - means anything, it is that artists today are well aware
of their cultural heritage and everything is up for grabs, to be reassembled
and reinterpreted as they see fit. This show provides a great chance to see
another country’s liberating sense of exploration.
An Impossible Journey:
The Art and Theatre of Tadeusz Kantor
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
2 June – 30 August 2009
To coincide with their overview of the Polish contemporary art scene, the
Sainsbury Centre is also hosting a solo exhibit of an artist whose work foresaw
the eclectic approach to art-making that has come to the forefront of contemporary
art over the course of the last century.
By the time Tadeusz Kantor died in 1990 he had been a stage director, creator
of happenings, painter, scenery designer, writer, art theoretician, actor
in his own productions, and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
Kantor was inspired by Constructivism, Dada, Art Informel, and Surrealism.
Living through autocracy, fascism and communism, his revolutionary art brings
a unique perspective to modern history. An Impossible Journey features theatrical
objects, mannequins and drawings, alongside archival films of Kantor's productions,
as well as stage designs and paintings.
No Visible Means of Escape: Contemporary Art and Imprisonment
Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery
18 July- 4 October 2009
The Castle’s exhibition plays host to many of the best-known names from
the CAN09 line-up. Famous exhibitors include Marc Quinn, Christine Borland
(who has created new work especially for the Castle show) and Louise Bourgeois,
who wowed Tate Modern audiences with her enormous spider sculptures when the
flagship venue opened in 2000.
The exhibition takes inspiration from the Castle’s long history as a
prison, exploring themes of control, punishment and surveillance and the title,
No Visible Means of Escape, is taken from a sculpture by Marc Quinn of the
same name.
Like Antony Gormley, Quinn uses his own body in the making of his art. No
Visible Means of Escape is a hollow polyurethane rubber cast of Quinn's naked
body, split up to the neck. The cast is suspended from a rope tied around
the feet. Quinn describes it as 'an extreme moment of transformation, a violent
shedding of the skin.'
The use of a simple human form makes the work both visceral and accessible,
and helps to avoid his metaphor becoming too obtuse. It is interesting to
note that the use of traditional methods of representation such as casting
are still generally accepted in contemporary sculpture, and rarely brought
into question by critics. This is in stark contrast to contemporary painting,
where photography has often been argued to negate the value of realist techniques
despite paint’s distinctive qualities. Maybe this explains why contemporary
sculpture often makes such a good introduction for audiences more used to
enjoying traditional art.
Fishing for Trout: New work by
Frances Kearney
Norwich Arts Centre
11 July- 31 August
The city Arts Centre presents an exhibition of recent photographic works by
Norfolk-based artist Frances Kearney. These carefully constructed large-scale
colour photographs explore the idea of finding sanctuary in nature during
childhood. Kearney is interested in the effect of using child models, and
the way that adult viewers may project their adult emotions onto the protagonists.
The resulting images are both poignant and beautiful.
Rub Me Up The Wrong Way 2:
The Live Art Supergig
Norwich Arts Centre
25 July: 7pm - midnight
For those unfamiliar with the concept of ‘Live Art,’ it is a term
for durational art pieces that could not easily be described as theatre, or
anything else for that matter. For instance, this may be because a piece has
no clear narrative or that the narrative is unconventional in the sense that
it is cyclical with no set beginning or end. Or it might be that a performance
requires the audience as an integral part of its realisation. Some art historians
have sited its origins as relating to both experimental theatre and ‘action
painting’, a phenomenon where some artists began to treat painting as
performance, seeing the process as more important than the final image.
The first Rub Me Up The Wrong Way in 2007 was one of the most successful live
art presentations staged in the East. Rub Me Up 2 promises a similarly eclectic
international bill of entertaining and challenging performances. Curated by
Richard Dedomenici, the evening will focus on the increasing trend of ‘Live
Artists’ utilising music but will also feature some of Britain’s
most provocative bands. This will be the summer’s music festival without
the queues, a post-modern Glastonbury crammed into one small venue on one
night.
Outhouse
Hosted by Outpost Gallery
Taking place at 20 Colegate, Norwich
1 July – 21 August 2009
Outpost has invited 21 artists from across the UK and Europe to participate
in a series of short residencies in Norwich. With different artists arriving
each week, Outhouse will provide the chance to gain a broad range of insights
into the creative process.
Each Friday, from 6.00pm, work by the artists-in-residence and a selection
of artist members from the gallery will be presented. These evenings will
include talks, screenings, performances and participatory events and will
provide a focal point where people can chat about the artworks and discuss
ideas.
Florilegium Norwich
Appearing across Norwich
11 July – 31 August
The festival also promises to spill out into the streets, so keep your eyes
peeled for artworks as you wander around the city. Florilegium Norwich is
a series of limited edition drawings by Jacques Nimki inspired by his research
and cataloguing of weeds found in and around Norwich city centre. Undervalued
and overlooked, thriving in our urban environment, Nimki uncovers the whereabouts
and activities of weeds and such characters as the Scarlet Pimpernel, The
Hen’s Inheritance, Sticky Willie, Sucky Sue and many more.
The works, in the form of small postcard sized drawings can be found in the
most unusual and unexpected locations throughout Norwich.
13 – A Norwich Beacon CANCELLED
Tombland, Norwich
11 July – 31 August 2009
13 – A Norwich Beacon, set in the heart of Tombland, is a large-scale
fabric Gothic arch that celebrates the architectural and historic elements
in Norwich. It is created by architects Karsten Huneck and Bernd Truempler
and inspired by Norwich 12, the series of outstanding Norwich heritage buildings.
It promises to provide a conspicuous landmark for the Festival during your
travels around the city. CANCELLED
Will Teather is Artist-in-Residence at Anteros Arts Centre and a short course
tutor at Norwich University College of the Arts. He will be presenting a solo
exhibition of recent works at Norwich Assembly House between 3 - 24 September.
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