The second exhibition in the Open series presents six new and early career artists predominantly from the North whose work came to us through submissions and expressions of interest. Open provides a platform for displaying new work and a forum for discussion thanks to a rich programme of public events unfolding throughout the duration of the exhibition.
In Pieces of You, each of the six artists share a curiosity in exploring how we gather and make meaning of our experiences. When we choose to photograph a moment, perhaps we imagine looking at it again in the future, showing it to a friend, or sharing it online – but we make it part of our story. From a dog-walk to a christening, moments in a coffee shop or reflecting on our past, how do we use images to make sense of ourselves and express ourselves? What do your photos say about you?
With the support of the Brian Mercer Charitable Trust, we are proud to present a series of three annual Open exhibitions to show work received through our on-going call for Exhibition Submissions. Established at the gallery in 2013, the submission process enables practitioners at all stages of their career, who use photography as their medium, to share their latest ideas and projects with us.
Photography offers a way to tell a story, to fix a moment for review, from one perspective or one time – but how ‘true’ is that picture of a sculpture, a friends face at sunset, your best selfie?
Peter Watkins’ The Unforgetting examines the artists German family history through objects, places, photographs, and narrative structures circulated within his family. Phoebe Kiely’s They Were My Landscape presents scenes from her life, collected as an act of curiosity and compulsion. PhotographerStephen Iles and sculptor Nicola Dale collaborate to explore the possibilities of photography to communicate an understanding of a subject.Sam Hutchinson’s project I Used To Think You Were Normal reflects on the simulated worlds of game shows and the motivations of their contestants. Designer and artist Thom Isom presents a new way of experiencing the exhibition through a limited edition publication.
The exhibition offers new ways of experiencing and thinking about photography – making structures within the gallery to enter the artist’s narrative space, toying with standard ideas of display. We will be constructing a working black and white darkroom inside the gallery to elevate the process of capturing and sharing photography to somewhere between residency and exhibition, and working with a sculptor / photographer collaboration to explore the boundaries of the knowledge available in the photographic image.
Open:
10am – 5pm, Tue – Sun