Now Showing #268: The week’s top exhibitions

The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture, The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield
Established in 2016, the Hepworth Prize for Sculpture is a £30,000 biennial award that recognises a British or UK-based artist of any age and at any stage in their career who has made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary sculpture.

This year’s exhibition features work by five shortlisted artists, including Michael Dean, who was also shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2016 alongside the winner of the inaugural Hepworth prize, Helen Marten. The other artists exhibiting are Mona Hatoum, Phillip Lai, Magali Reus and Cerith Wyn Evans, with the winner being announced at an awards dinner in November. Read our Q&A with Michael Dean here.
Until 20 January 2019. www.hepworthwakefield.org

Still I Rise: Feminisms, Gender, Resistance, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
Coinciding with the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK, this exhibition explores the role that women have played in the history of resistance movements and alternative forms of living. There’s a lot to see, with over 100 exhibits by 40 practitiioners, ranging from visual artists, writers and architects, to designers and activists. A number of key historical moments are covered, including the Civil Rights Movement, resistance against dictatorships in Latin America in the 1960s–70s, and the Women’s Liberation Movement. Next year, the show will tour to the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea.
Until 27 January 2019. www.nottinghamcontemporary.org

Steven Claydon: The Outside In, The Museum of English Rural Life, Reading
This exhibition has been curated by sculptor and musician Steven Claydon, and features a series of interventions in the galleries of the Museum of English Rural Life. Melanesian artefacts from his personal collection, plus a series of new sculptural works, have been introduced into the gallery’s displays, with the results questioning how we attach meaning and narratives to objects in museums.
Until 13 January 2019. www.readinginternational.org

Jonas Staal: The Scottish-European Parliament, CCA, Glasgow
This show originally opened on the night of the Glasgow School of Art fire and subsequently closed due to CCA’s proximity to the Mackintosh building, with it only now being seen by the public following the CCA reopening last weekend. It is the culmination of a two-year collaboration between artist Jonas Staal, CCA’s public engagement curator Viviana Checchia, Glasgow School of Art professor Johnny Rodger and Glasgow University PhD candidate and graduate teaching assistant Anika Marschall. The result is a proposal for the existence of a new European parliament, with Staal assembling a variety of scenarios by different political and social organisations. See the a-n Instagram for more on the reopening of the CCA.
Until 11 November 2018. www.cca-glasgow.com

Heather Phillipson: The Age of Love, Baltic, Gateshead
This new commission by Heather Phillipson responds to Baltic’s vast Level 4 gallery and features a series of videos, sounds and objects. Animatronic dog hair, augmented reality bird faeces, mobile sculptures and a leftover foot on a rotating pedestal add up to an intriguing show designed to operate somewhere between an agricultural vista and lunar wasteland.
Until 31 March 2019. www.baltic.art

Images:
1. Michael Dean, installation view (detail), The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture 2018. Photo: Stuart Whipps
2. Phillip Lai, installation view, The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture 2018, The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Stuart Whipps
3. Tai Shani, Dark Continent: SEMIRAMIS, 2018, performance. Commissioned by Glasgow International 2018. Image: Keith Hunter
4. ‘Steven Claydon: The Outside In’
5. Jonas Staal: The Scottish-European Parliament, installation view, 2018, CCA Glasgow. Photo: Chris Sharratt via a-n Instagram
6. ‘Heather Phillipson: The Age of Love’

More on a-n.co.uk: