The New Art Gallery Walsall
February to May 2014
Design by Stereographic
Cover Image ~ Chiharu Shiota, Letters of Thanks, 2013. Museum of Art, Kochi, Japan. © DACS 2013. Photograph by Sunhi Mang.
What’s On February — May 2014 Exhibitions
- Chiharu Shiota: Dialogues - Richard Long: Prints 1970 – 2013 - Chris Clinton: Dead Media - Back to Front - Dorothea Wight & Marc Balakjian - Studio Prints - George Grosz: THE BIG NO - 40 Years of Women Artists Visit our website: thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk Join the blog, Facebook us or just follow on Twitter @newartgallery
Chiharu Shiota is supported by:
The gallery is accredited by:
George Grosz is supported by:
Richard Long is supported by:
Events supported by:
Artists' Studio Sarah Taylor Silverwood 4 February — 20 July 2014 Birmingham-based artist Sarah Taylor Silverwood has a practice grounded in drawing, narrative and landscape. She interweaves historical material with comic book and pop culture imagery, allowing intertextual narratives to emerge. The layering of ephemeral materials such as envelopes, maps and pages torn from old books create surfaces that are rich with references. Sarah Taylor Silverwood, Battle of the Unicorns (After Delacroix) (Detail), 2013, Ink on paper, 70 x 100cm. Photo: David Rowan
Bharti Parmar will be resident in the Artists' Studio from 20 January - 2 February 2014 as part of the Artist Development programme. The Studio will be transformed over the fortnight into a marquetry workshop in which objects and artworks are presented in the manner of a Wunderkammer. For information about the Artist Development programme, please visit visit tpwestmidlands.org.uk
The larger than life female characters that underpin many of the stories represented in the Gallery’s archive will provide a focus for Sarah’s extended residency in the Artists’ Studio, culminating in a large scale work for The New Art Gallery Collection and a Long Gallery display to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the Garman Ryan collection (9 July). www.sarahsilverwood.com Artists’ Studio event Saturday 26 April, 2pm Join Sarah Taylor Silverwood for an introduction to her drawing practice and an early insight into work being developed as part of the 40th Anniversary celebrations. Book your free place by calling 01922 654400.
Chiharu Shiota, Accumulation - Searching for the Destination, 2012, Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Inokuma, Japan. Š DACS 2013. Photograph by Sunhi Mang
Chiharu Shiota, Letters of Thanks, 2013. Museum of Art, Kochi, Japan. Š DACS 2013. Photograph by Sunhi Mang.
Chiharu Shiota Dialogues 17 January – 30 March 2014 Floor 3 Chiharu Shiota is renowned for her dramatic, immersive installations which frequently utilise found objects such as clothing, shoes, old furniture, vintage suitcases and doors and windows from demolished and derelict buildings. Such items resonate with personal and emotional if elusive histories. Chiharu’s installations alter and energise the physical and architectural space, challenging our perceptions of the immediate environment and embracing the viewer as an integral part of the experience. For her solo exhibition in Walsall, Chiharu will create two spectacular site-specific installations, shown alongside a selection of drawings and films by the artist. This exhibition is supported by The Henry Moore Foundation.
Chiharu Shiota, Red Line V, 2012. Oil pastel on paper 150 x 100 cm. © DACS 2013. Photograph by Sunhi Mang
Richard Long, NO FOOTPRINTS, 2013, Offset Lithograph, 63 × 45.6 cm
Richard Long, ROSIN DUBH – A Slow Air, 1976, Offset Lithograph, 50 x 76 cm.
Richard Long Prints 1970-2013 16 April — 22 June 2014 Floor 3 Richard Long is among a generation of artists who wanted to extend the possibilities of sculpture beyond the confines of traditional materials, expanding the artist’s view from that of observing the landscape to journeying through it. The materials used, such as stones, pebbles and driftwood, are gathered in situ and assembled by Long into circles, lines and eclipses. The artist’s walks, which have taken him through Nepal, Africa, Mexico, Bolivia and remote areas of Britain, are documented with photographs, wall drawings and printed statements. This exhibition will bring together, for the first time, all of the artist’s prints, made over a 40-year period. These provide great insight into the relationship between Long’s sculpture and graphic work. NO FOOTPRINTS (2013), a new limited edition print created expressly for the occasion of the exhibition, makes reference to a ten–day walk in the Ellsworth Mountains in Antartica in December 2012 when it was not possible for the artist to leave behind any footprints at all in the frozen, bluish ice masses. To accompany this print retrospective, Long will create a special wall-drawing on the Gallery’s 26 metre-long wall, together with a floor sculpture in response to the Gallery’s architecture. The New Art Gallery Walsall is the only UK venue for this exhibition, which has been produced in collaboration with Museum Kurhaus Kleve and Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany. A catalogue raisonné publication, with contributions from each institution, accompanies the exhibition at special exhibition price of £25. The presentation will be extended by an additional sculpture on Floor 4 (16 April — 9 July 2014). Richard Long is represented in major public and private collections worldwide. He won the Turner Prize in 1989.
NO FOOTPRINTS, a signed and numbered limited edition print is available at £300 (£270 Friends price). Buy when you visit, order via info@thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk or call 01922 65 4400. Charges for postage & packaging apply.
Chris Clinton, Spiderman, 2013. Paper Coil (Dartboard).
Chris Clinton Dead Media Until 6 April 2014 Floor 4 Chris Clinton uses familiar objects and reclaimed materials to create artworks that refer obliquely to contemporary popular culture and our disregard for out-dated media. This exhibition will bring together the artist’s full series of paper-coil dartboards for the first time, alongside a new sculpture spectacularly realised using multiple reels of VHS magnetic tape.
or consumer brands visible in the original dartboard image is completely destroyed in the re-wrapping process, reminding us of the fleeting lifespan of novelty items.
Sourcing his rare, novelty dartboards from internet auction sites, Clinton painstakingly unwraps the coiled paper before reforming the dartboard to reveal colourful concentric circles and geometric patterns. The references to Hollywood films, comic books, cartoons
Saturday 22 March, 2pm Join the artist for an informal introduction to his exhibition and working process.
Chris Clinton lives and works in Birmingham. In Conversation
Book your free place in advance by calling 01922 654400.
George Grosz, Ledebour, 1919, from Ecce Homo, Courtesy the Estate of George Grosz, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
George Grosz, Character Study, 1921, from Ecce Homo, Courtesy the Estate of George Grosz, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
George Grosz THE BIG NO Until 16 March 2014 Floor 1 George Grosz (1893-1959) was one of the greatest satirical artists of the 20th century. A co-founder of the Berlin Dada group and a revolutionary in the 1920s, he made hundreds of drawings depicting the vices and injustices of a society on the brink of economic and moral collapse. This exhibition will feature works from his two most powerful series; Ecce Homo from 1923 and Hintergrund of 1928. These portfolios were originally published by the left-wing publisher Malik Verlag. Born from the same society that inspired Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin (on which the film Cabaret was based), these drawings present a caustic view of Germany in the traumatic years of the struggling Weimar Republic. This is a Hayward Touring exhibition from the Southbank Centre.
Dorothea Wight and Marc Balakjian Until 2 March 2014 Floor 2
Studio Prints Until 15 April 2014 Floor 1
The New Art Gallery is proud to present together for the first time in a public institution the work of artists and printmakers Dorothea Wight and Marc Balakjian. The couple have won international print prizes for their work, and are particularly renowned for their skill in the medium of mezzotint.
Dorothea Wight, Far from here, 1979, colour mezzotint, Courtesy the estate of the artist
In 1968 Dorothea founded the Studio Prints workshop in London. For 40 years she and Marc collaborated with artists to produce editions, working with leading modern British artists including Julian Trevelyan, Anthony Gross, Tess Jaray, Stephen Conroy, Frank Auerbach and Celia Paul. Marc also worked exclusively with Lucian Freud for 25 years. This 2 part exhibition shows not only a selection of the original work of Dorothea Wight and Marc Balakjian, but also presents a group of prints produced at Studio Prints for other artists, and celebrates the couple’s contribution to 20th century British printmaking.
Marc Balakjian, In memory of an historic phrase, 1975, colour mezzotint, Courtesy the Artist
In Conversation Saturday 1 March, 2pm Marc Balakjian discusses the legacy of Studio Prints and his collaboration with artists such as Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach. Book your free place in advance by calling 01922 654400. * See events page for Mezzotint Masterclass.
Stephen Conroy, Silence, 1991, drypoint, the Artist courtesy of Marlborough Fine Art
40 Years of Women Artists from the Permanent Collection 8 March — 29 June 2014 Floor 2
Linder, She’s too much for my mirror 1979/2008, giclée and collage, Courtesy the artist
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Garman Ryan Collection, and the strong female characters in the Garman Epstein family and their circle of friends, this exhibition puts the spotlight on women who feature in our Permanent Collection. The Garman sisters, who hailed from Wednesbury and were daughters of a local doctor, were radical and inspirational females. They moved to London in the interwar period, becoming part of the bohemian milieu of artistic life in Soho and breaking away from the conventional role of women in those days.
Rita Donagh, Ordance Survey, Birmingham, 2004, mixed media painting, Courtesy the artist
Paula Rego, Ring-a-Ring o’ Roses, 1989, etching, Courtesy the artist
Over the past forty years the role of women in our society has changed dramatically and women have grown equal in all areas of life. Contemporary women artists are now on equal terms with their male counterparts, and no longer regarded as mere muses. From the 1970s to the present day the Gallery has collected a diverse and strong body of work by women artists, in a range of media. This exhibition, opening on International Women’s Day, will examine what defines ‘women’s art’ and makes it distinct from that of male artists, and will include works by Dorothea Wight, Elizabeth Frink, Eileen Cooper, Linder, Paula Rego, Helen Chadwick, Kitty Garman, Rita Donagh, Anya Gallaccio, Gillian Wearing, Tracey Emin, Jane and Louise Wilson, Spartacus Chetwynd and Laura Lancaster.
Back to Front
40 Permanent Collection Gems
To celebrate the Ruby Anniversary of the Garman Ryan Collection Until 16 November 2014 Floors 1 and 2 This series of year long interventions into the Garman Ryan Collection has been selected by our fantastic Front of House team. They had the opportunity to go ‘behind the scenes’ and delve into the Collection Store to find out more about the Permanent Collection and choose their favourite artworks to go on display. Members of the Front of House team on duty in the galleries will be happy to talk to visitors about the project and the works they selected. There is a wide variety of work on display, reflective of the tastes and personalities of the selectors and the diversity of our Collection. Works in the exhibition include studies of dancers by Jacob Epstein’s former model, Isabel Rawsthorne (also muse to Francis Bacon); the first acquisition into a public collection by artist and taxidermist Polly Morgan, commissioned for our 2013 The Nature of the Beast exhibition; one of a series of Dayanita Singh photographs purchased as part of The Art Fund International scheme, jointly owned with Birmingham Museums Trust; and a drawing by Turner Prize nominee David Shrigley.
Dayanita Singh, Dream Villa 7, 2007-2008, colour photograph, courtesy the artist, Presented by The Art Fund under Art Fund International for joint ownership by The New Art Gallery Walsall and Birmingham Museums Trust, 2010
Isabel Rawsthorne, Multiple Dance Related Studies, 1960s, charcoal and pen on paper, Courtesy the estate of the artist
The 40 works reflect the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the Garman Ryan Collection this year. The Garman Ryan Collection was gifted to the people of Walsall by Lady Kathleen Epstein, who had grown up in nearby Wednesbury. The collection first went on public display in July 1974 and in line with Kathleen’s wishes the works are presented thematically, the interventions fitting within these themes.
Polly Morgan, Myocardial Infarction, 2013, taxidermy and mixed media sculpture, Courtesy the artist Chila Kumari Burman, Body Weapons, 1992, mixed media on paper, Courtesy the artist
An Artwork of the Month series accompanies this exhibition. Every month one of the interventions will be featured on our website, with an accompanying talk by its selector in the Gallery. February Ian McLean, Sans Amour Chosen by Sam Mace Saturday 15 February, 2pm March Chila Kumari Burman, Body Weapons (Walk Tall) Chosen by Preya Chauhan Saturday 8 March, 2pm - in celebration of International Women’s Day April Olly and Suzi, Green Dog-Black Dog Mkomazi Chosen by Rob Conway Saturday 5 April, 2pm May Julie Nord, The Roommates Chosen by Michele Harris Thursday 15 May, 2pm
Exhibition Tour Saturday 24 May, 2pm Join members of the Front of House Team for an informal tour of the Back to Front exhibition. FREE, just turn up on the day.
The Garman Ryan Collection The Garman Ryan Collection was gifted to Walsall in 1973 by Lady Kathleen Epstein, the widow of the renowned sculptor Jacob Epstein. She had formed this important collection with her friend, Sally Ryan, following Epstein’s death in 1959. It features 365 works by a range of artists, including Epstein, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Degas, Matisse and Lucian Freud. This collection is on permanent display on our 1st and 2nd floor galleries. The Gallery also holds an Epstein Archive, featuring letters, diaries, photographs and documentation from the Garman and Epstein family history, and continues to collect work with links to this important collection.
The Permanent Collection The New Art Gallery Walsall has an impressive Permanent Collection, featuring a range of works collected since 1892, when the Gallery was founded to provide culture for the citizens of Walsall. As well as many historic works, the Gallery has a strong commitment to contemporary collecting, reflected in purchases made through schemes such as the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme and Art Fund International, and in the acquisition of new works from artists who have exhibited or had residencies at the Gallery.
2014 is the 40th anniversary of the Garman Ryan Collection. We would very much like to hear from anyone who remembers the opening of the Garman Ryan Collection in Walsall 1974 and would like to share their memories and stories from that time, or indeed from anyone with a connection to the Garman Ryan Collection itself. In July 2014 we will host a special 40th Anniversary exhibition, opening 40 years since this Collection was first viewed by the public in Walsall. Contact us on 01922 654400 or wilkinsonc@walsall.gov.uk
Venue Hire A unique setting for inspiring and creative events at affordable rates. Be surrounded by fascinating art collections and exhibitions in a signature building designed by Caruso St John. Enjoy panoramic views from the roof terrace adjoining the 4th Floor Meeting Room and hospitality by recommended caterers Costa Coffee. Frequent train services from Birmingham and parking available nearby.
Art Library & Archive The Art Library is a resource open to everyone with free Internet access, a large range of art books, exhibition catalogues, magazines and art education resources. Staff can help with any specific queries on the Gallery’s Collection and Exhibitions.
Regular Family Events Baby Palace*
Fridays: 28 Feb, 28 Mar, 23 May 10.30-11.30am, 12-1pm, 2-3pm
These are sessions for new carers to relax in a multi-sensory environment and explore smells, sights and senses with your baby at your pace. This is a great chance to meet other new parents and share your experiences.
Art Start*
Wednesdays: 5 Feb, 5 Mar, 7 May 11am-12 noon each day
These are sessions for pre-school children 1 year old and upwards with carers. Come along and explore an artwork in the gallery and make things together to support your child in being creative.
Art Cart
The Art Cart comes out every weekend and all school holidays to help you explore our collections. It has three different free activities that change monthly as the art cart moves somewhere new in the gallery.
Frisky Bags
These are rucksacks full of activities to help you explore around the gallery together as a family. Ask to borrow one free from reception. Great for children 6-12 years old.
* ÂŁ1.50 per child per session. Book both in advance on 01922 654400.
Drop in with the family anytime, open all day.
DiSCO is a safe place for families to explore art together. You can touch, look, draw, play and create to help you understand the artworks on display. * Please note Disco will be closed during February 2014, for a refurbishment. Come to one of our organised family workshops, some are free, some drop in, some to book and pay. Check the text for the workshop of your choice.
Family Sundays Drop In
The first Sunday each month is family Sunday. There is a drop in workshop, only £1.50 per child, with carer, to come and join in. Buy your workshop ticket at the reception desk on the day. Workshops run 1-3pm. These are for all ages, everyone is welcome.
Lifesize Portraits
Misfits
Come and paint yourself at your real size, inspired by Sans Amour.
dalmatian with a decorated ribbon inspired by The Roommates.
Sunday 2 March
Sunday 2 February Make your own
Dog Gone
Sunday 6 April
Draw your own endangered species inspired by Green Dog – Black Dog Mkomazi.
The gallery has lift access to all floors and is buggy friendly, breastfeeding friendly and has babychange facilities on the ground floor.
Patterns and Bracelets Sunday 4 May
Design, print and show off your own patterns and bracelets inspired by Body Weapons.
Tuesday Tots Every Tuesday in school holidays. For toddlers up to 4 years old with their carer. Only £1.50 per child. Workshops run 11am – 12noon. Please book in advance on 01922 654400, or at the reception desk, and collect a workshop ticket when you’ve paid.
Round and Round
Flowers
Your Room A Journey
Come along and explore using some flowers in art inspired by the Women Artists exhibition and Helen Chadwick.
Make your own collage of your room or the room you’d like, inspired by the Living Room Series.
15 April
18 February
Circles and circles and circles, everything is round or spiralling today for you to explore inspired by the work of Chris Clinton.
22 April
27 May
We’ll go on a journey, like the artist Richard Long might, around the gallery to collect rubbings, ideas and drawings, all to make into a picture
Wednesday Workshops for all Each Wednesday in school holidays there are workshops that everyone can join in together. Free, drop in subject to space. All workshops run 1-3pm.
Bullseye 19 February
Make your own paper plane dart to score on our giant target inspired by Chris Clinton.
It’s a Stitch Up 16 April
Come along and learn to stitch inspired by the Women Artists exhibition and Tracey Emin.
Medallion You Mud 23 April Drawings Make your own medal to celebrate all the great things you’ve done in your life so far. Inspired by Sergeant Major William Purvis.
28 May
Use your hands and make your own mud drawing inspired by the Richard Long work on display.
Friday Fun Workshops for families with children 4 years and older. Only £2.50 per child per session. Workshops run twice each day, 11-12.30pm and 1-2.30pm. Book in advance on 01922 654400 or at reception and collect your ticket when you’ve paid.
Dartboard Hanging
Money, Money, Money
Explore materials and make your own circular hanging artwork inspired by Chris Clinton’s art.
Ever wanted to print your own money? Here’s your chance, inspired by Insertions into Idealogical Circuits 2
21 February
25 April
Stone Prints 30 May
Create your own beautiful prints through exploration and rubbings of stones, adding text and mounting your final artworks.
* For 2014 all Sunday workshops are based on the artwork of the month from the Back to Front display. * Please note any bookings made for paid workshops will be held for seven days without payment.
Marc Balakjian, Frontier II, 1975, colour mezzotint, Courtesy of the artist
Adult Workshops Mezzotint Masterclass
Friday 7 and Saturday 8 February 10.30am-3.30pm both days, £60 Exhibiting artist and renowned printmaker Marc Balakjian will run a two day course teaching mezzotint techniques. There will be a talk and demonstration followed by the opportunity for participants to work with a small copper plate to create their own mezzotint print. * See Back to Front exhibition pages for more talks and exhibition tours.
Events for Everyone Bridging the Gap A Salaam celebration for International Womens Day
Saturday 8 March 12noon-4pm Join us for our free celebrations building stronger community relationships in a spirit of peace and unity through diversity and celebrating International Womens Day.
Bimingham Conservatoire
Saturday 15th March, 2pm Join music students from Birmingham Conservatoire perform student compositions inspired by the Chiharu Shiota exhibition.
Peregrine Watch
Saturday 5 April 10am-3pm Free, drop in The Countryside Services team return to the gallery to view the peregrines in Walsall. From floor 4 you can watch and record the movements of the peregrines nesting. Meet some live birds and find out more about some wildlife charities. A free drop-in event with Black Country & Staffordshire Naturalists, Walsall’s Countryside Rangers, West Midlands Bird Club and local RSPB.
Vaisakhi
Saturday 26 April 2014, 12-4pm This year’s celebration of Sikh culture will explore the involvement of Sikhs during World War One. Do come along and join in our free celebrations and workshops and to find out more.
Adult Talks Understanding Art Part IV Sculpture Thursday 27 March - The Barber Institute of Fine Art Thursday 3 April - The New Art Gallery Walsall Thursday 10 April - Wolverhampton Art Gallery Thursday 1 May - Ikon Gallery £20 for all four sessions £16 concessions: students, unwaged, 60+ Booking essential, please visit www.ikon-gallery.org or call Ikon Shop on 0121 248 0711 This short course looks at the development of sculpture from the historical collection and groundbreaking figurative work of Rodin in the nineteenth century at the Barber Institute, through to work made by Jacob Epstein in the twentieth century at The New Art Gallery Walsall. At Wolverhampton Art Gallery we will look at developments in sculpture from the 1950s to the 1980s, before culminating in an in-depth look at the contemporary sculptural installations by Michel Francois at Ikon Gallery.
Presents… Stand-Up Comedy Course with James Cook Saturday 15 and Saturday 22 February 2014, 11am-3pm Open to everyone aged 16-25 £15 Attendance is for both dates We are delighted to welcome stand-up comedian James Cook for this special course. James has been delivering stand up workshops for several years all over the country. His courses have sold out weeks and weeks in advance. We love ‘out there’ experiences. This event will be great for you if you are: −− Looking to improve your creativity or presentation skills −− A budding stand-up or performer −− Interested in comedy and want to meet like-minded people −− Just want to do something exhilarating and different. So, achieve something inspirational and join us for our latest workshop! www.acolourfulcrowd.co.uk fb. /acolourfulcrowd tw. @acolourfulcrowd #thecrowd #thecrowdpresents
Opening times
Tuesday – Saturday 10am-5pm Sundays 12noon – 4pm Closed Mondays and Bank Holidays
Shop
Find the perfect gift for you or a friend in our specialist art shop, exhibition catalogues, art books, postcards, notebooks and much more.
Costa
Monday – Saturday 8.30am-5pm Sunday 10am-4pm
Mailing List
Sign up to our free e-bulletin to receive Preview invitations and event information.
Venue Hire
The New Art Gallery Walsall Gallery Square, Walsall WS2 8LG 01922 654400 TexBox: 01922 65 4000 thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk Follow us on Twitter: @newartgallery Free WiFi available throughout the building.
Access guides and alternative versions of all printed materials are available on request. For more information please contact 01922 654400 Disclaimer: every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this edition of What’s On, which was correct at the time of publication. Walsall Council cannot be held responsible for any changes.
The gallery is available for corporate events and meetings, email venuehire@thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk or call 01922 654400 for further details.
Talks and Tours
Bring a group and book for a guided tour of the Garman Ryan Collection, visit our website for more information.
Education
For a full schools and colleges programme visit our website or contact 01922 654400.