Last weekend I was lucky enough to catch ‘Short Circuit’ on the very last day of the exhibition. Short Circuit is a reassessment of the archetypal touring show – currently based at Stryx’s studios at Grand Union, Birmingham.
Sikander Pervez
Following on from my post on FOUND at the New Art Gallery Walsall, this exhibition is accompanied by another, solo show – that of Sikander Pervez. Pervez was selected for New Art West Midlands 2014 – an event at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, celebrating outstanding fine art graduates from the West Midlands Universities. I … Continue reading Sikander Pervez
FOUND: New Art Gallery Walsall
Last night saw the private view of New Art Gallery Walsall’s new exhibition: FOUND. The exhibition featured seven artists (Paul Chiappe, Julie Cockburn, Ellen Gallagher, Ruth Claxton, John Stezaker, Vesna Pavlović and Erik Kessels), all of whom transformed and re-worked found, visual material. It featured photographs, postcards, slides and magazines - all gleaned from the … Continue reading FOUND: New Art Gallery Walsall
Moore and Rodin – Modern Sculpture at Compton Verney
Compton Verney, a beautiful stately home in the midst of the Warwickshire countryside, has been home – as of late – to two giants of modern sculpture: Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin In the Capability Brown landscape, the two sculptors sit side by side – evidencing the remarkable parallels, contradictions and dialogue between their works. … Continue reading Moore and Rodin – Modern Sculpture at Compton Verney
Success in Failure: Art in the City – Bristol Artist Talks
Simon and Tom Bloor A few days ago, I was lucky to attend a talk (hosted by Arnolfini), given by the artists Simon and Tom Bloor, two brothers (and identical twins) from Birmingham, on their recent work. The Bloor brothers primarily deal with sculpture – on a large scale – often directly placed into the … Continue reading Success in Failure: Art in the City – Bristol Artist Talks
Walking the Corridors: Archival Photography
Part IV: Walking the Corridors: Williams, Power and McKee. This is the last installment on ‘Building the Archive’, a symposium designed to highlight, promote and understand the connections between ‘Art’ and the ‘Archive’, or more specifically – Photography and its relationship with its own aftermath; the static stores of libraries, galleries and museums. It has … Continue reading Walking the Corridors: Archival Photography
Understanding the House: What does ‘Archive’ Mean?
I had intended to stop at three installments – ‘understanding the house’, being the last piece on the ‘Building the Archive’ symposium. However I felt Professor Golding’s talk had so much information, so many points for further thought, that it left plenty for the reader to mull upon. It was a fantastic talk in its … Continue reading Understanding the House: What does ‘Archive’ Mean?
Rising from the Rubble: ‘Reference Works’ at Birmingham Library
Part II: Rising from the Rubble: Lacon and Whipps For Part I, see ‘Viewing the Building Site.' The second part of discussion at ‘Building the Archive’ was led by two photographers, Andrew Lacon and Stuart Whipps. They both partook in the Reference Works Project, and both discussed their contributions to Birmingham’s evolving photographic collection. The … Continue reading Rising from the Rubble: ‘Reference Works’ at Birmingham Library
Building the Archive: An Archive of Our Own?
Here, in true Archival fashion, I wish to offer up a record of the ‘Building the Archive’ Symposium – a day, in response to Birmingham Library’s ‘Reference Works Photography Project’. This was a set of commissioned photographic reactions to the transformation of Birmingham’s 1970s building, into its present, ‘modern’ form. The photographs would, after public … Continue reading Building the Archive: An Archive of Our Own?
New Art in the West Midlands: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Last Thursday saw the opening of ‘New Art West Midlands’ exhibition, showcasing new work from the best graduates across the area. It was designed as a celebration of innovation, embracing the spectrum of artistic media and presentation, providing a platform for emerging, and recently graduated artists. Themes of class, gender, identity, site-specific responses, urban spaces … Continue reading New Art in the West Midlands: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
AC studies 