Visual Arts News

6 | www.artseast.co.uk Visual Arts News

The New English Art Club exhibits in Aldeburgh From April 11th-May 2nd, Thompson’s Gallery in Aldeburgh is privileged to be holding an exhibition of Selected Members of The New English Art Club. The NEAC was founded by a group of artists who were dissatisfied with the attitudes and conservatism of the Royal Academy and they held their first exhibition in 1886 with key early members amongst others being James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Walter Sickert, Sir George Clausen, John Singer Sargent and Philip Wilson Steer. The club increasingly attracted younger artists, bringing with them the influence of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Many diverse styles of art have been developed since its founding, adding richness and variety and Thompson’s Gallery, Aldeburgh are thrilled to be able to hold an exhibition showing exactly the breadth and talent of its current members. You will find beautifully executed still lives, breathtaking landscapes and exquisitely painted interiors. www.thompsonsgallery.co.uk

Diss Corn Hall is proud to host an exhibition by renowned artist Phil Greenwood from March 21st-May 2nd. Phil Greenwood has carved himself a reputation over the last 50 years as one of the most talented landscape artists in the country, exploring his subjects through the technique of etching. A regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the prestigious Royal Society of PainterEtchers, he has shown internationally, and his work is in such collections as the Tate Gallery and Arts Council. Greenwood looks for atmosphere and spirit of place in his work which is technically both complex and economical. Using just two etching plates and two or three colours, he creates an extraordinary range of tones and colour, fusing colours and overprinting one on another. www.thecornhall.co.uk

New location for Sculpture in the Valley One of the region’s flagship sculpture events is moving to a new location this year. Waveney & Blyth Arts’ seventh outdoor sculpture event - Sculpture in the Valley 2020 –will be curated by the Suffolk based artist and curator David Baldry and will be hosted by Potton Hall, Westleton - located close to Dunwich Forest in the Blyth valley area of Suffolk. Annually attracting thousands of visitors, the event moves location every three years to reach new audiences and explore different landscapes. Previously it has taken place at the Raveningham Centre and the River Waveney Study Centre in Earsham. Genevieve Rudd, the new Chair of Waveney & Blyth Arts (WBA), said; ‘2020 marks WBA’s tenth birthday, so we wanted to develop this year’s sculpture event to celebrate our legacy of connecting art with landscape and place over the past decade. The new site for 2020 offers an opportunity for artists to explore a distinct environment – from the domestic planted gardens to the wildflower meadow set against the rugged Dunwich woodland. We have devised the theme ‘Reflections on Landscape’ which asks artists to consider ideas about scale, perspectives and the interaction between wild and cultivated aspects of the landscape.’ www.waveneyandblytharts.com

‘The Year I went Heywire!’ What do you do when you see litter? Ignore it? Hope that someone else deals with it? Or pick it up, collect it and make it into art? That’s exactly what artist Chrissie O’Connor has done. Chrissie’s frustration began in 2015 when she started to notice litter discarded by telecom engineers at junction boxes in her home of Woolpit and surrounding villages. She saw that lots of small pieces of litter add up to a much larger global impact. The work includes art made from found discarded materials such as crimp connectors, wire clippings, cable ties, crocodile clips, electrical wiring and general debris. This exhibition- The Year I went Haywire - is at The Museum of East Anglian Life and runs from now until the end of April. It highlights the current global issue of plastic pollution and draws attention to the environmental impact of industrial waste, whilst also encouraging the viewer to look at their own responsibility when it comes to protecting the planet. Faced with Chrissie’s dilemma, what would you do? www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Firstsite Colchester: Unboxing Alex Frost In a glass tank filled with fresh water, artist Alex Frost slowly opens consumer products, to strangely beautiful effect. From February 8th - April 19th, an exhibition of her videos and sculptures of products that feed our 'on-the-go' lifestyle is coming to Firstsite in Colchester. During summer 2018, Alex Frost uploaded 48 videos onto YouTube. These videos featured ready meals, snacks, protein shakes, vitamin tablets and energy drinks, all ‘on-the-go’ products, submerged and unpacked underwater. Frost called these films ‘Wet Unboxings’ – a nod to the online trend of ‘Unboxing’ where a product is unpacked, explained and demonstrated, all of which is captured on video and uploaded to the Internet. Alex Frost’s ‘Wet Unboxings’ quickly went viral. At Firstsite around twelve of these videos will be projected facing each other on opposite sides of the gallery on screens that stretch the entire width of the walls, immersing the viewer in the larger-than-life images. The videos will be accompanied by a series of wall-based sculptures made from sandwiches and frozen pizzas encased in resin —foods that are part of the same optimised on-the-go lifestyle that the videos try to capture. www.firstsite.uk

Anglian Potters Spring Ceramics Exhibition

Whether you’re looking for a unique gift or just fancy something handmade and extra special for your home or garden you’ll find plenty of choice at the popular Anglian Potters Spring Exhibition. Featuring more than 70 makers this ‘go to’ event at The Undercroft Gallery, Norwich opens every day from April 16th-29th. Turning the venue into a veritable Aladdin’s Cave the exhibition showcases the latest work from outstanding local potters and ceramic artists with styles ranging from the traditional to cutting edge contemporary expressed in beautiful and unique handmade tableware, decorative items, wall art, jewellery and sculpture. Entry is free and the exhibition is open every day from 10am to 4.30pm. The Undercroft is at the back of Norwich market, at the Guildhall (north) end of the gardens. www.anglianpotters.org.uk