Cuts. Cuts, cuts, cuts and deficit. It’s a repetitive time, ‘an age of austerity’ to give the soundbite. To reflect the moods of the times, whatever they may be, is a challenge. ‘Cuts’ are still things that are unknown, not quite fully fledged enough to be an understood reality – but a question is being asked around how this onslaught can be reflected in art.
The Coalition of Artists is a new group trying to encourage creative folks to come together, to create whatever they can to reflect people’s thoughts, fears or encouragement of the Government’s plans for deficit reduction.
As Gari Sullivan, one of the founders of the group, explains: “The idea was [view more…]
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When Opus gallery closed last month, the Gosforth art collective winced and shuddered at the thought of losing their showplace, but few who attended the private opening of its new central-Newcastle hub could deny the romance of its new exhibition and setting.
Located within an art nouveau building at the bottom of Dean Street in Newcastle, Opus has officially flown its Gosforth nest and brought with it an eclectic mix of legendary prints and local gems.
To mark its new dawn, its owners have selected works from artists close to their hearts including Andrew McAttee, Karl de Vroomen, Kim Baker and Hector de Gregorio, juxtaposed beautifully alongside limited edition, signed prints by artistic heavyweights such as Banksy, Damien Hirst, Salvador Dali and Sir Peter Blake. [view more…]
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Founded last year with the aim of showcasing street theatre in Newcastle, Northern Street Arts have skilfully brought together a range of visual artists with some of the best independent theatre setups in the region.
Eight weeks into its annual festival at Newcastle’s Quayside, this Sunday the city’s Guildhall will be the setting for the grand finale featuring international street performers including Australia’s Benny B and Spain’s Mr Vita.
The festival will also be playing host to a range of regional proteges who have earned their stripes after attending NSA’s weekly workshops, as well as opening it’s doors to a dedicated kids area.
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Newcastle’s Vane gallery hasn’t always delivered the goods when it comes to contemporary art, but its latest exhibition – The Making of the Landscape by Wakefield-based artist Matthew Smith – which opens on Thursday certainly sounds intriguing.
Exploring how our ideas of landscape and the rural environment are filtered through the reductive lens of mass culture, Smith’s projects in sculpture, drawing, photography and video share a concern with fictionalised and idealised representations of nature and of place, rejecting the idea of one all-encompassing original ‘nature’ in favour of infinite interpretations, copies and inventions of the natural. [view more…]
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In 1972 the Museum of Modern Art staged an exhibition entitled The New Domestic Landscape. The show brought together designers who created exuberant, anti-rational products based on the new world of man-made materials, and their seemingly inexhaustible supply.
The New Domestic Landscape of 2010 is as full of contradictions and complexities as its predecessor. From televisions transformed into abstract colour-field paintings to light bulbs encased in custom-fitted leather jackets, the artists and designers in the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art‘s latest exhibition create a range of artistic provocations designed to be consumed in the comfort of our own homes. [view more…]
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Cuts. Cuts, cuts, cuts and deficit. It’s a repetitive time, ‘an age of austerity’ to give the soundbite. To reflect the moods of the times, whatever they may be, is a challenge. ‘Cuts’ are still things that are unknown, not quite fully fledged enough to be an understood reality – but a question is being asked around how this onslaught can be reflected in art.
