Looking for art books for Christmas? Here are ten ideas to start with, including a tour of the world’s brutalist gems, a collection of inspiring and insightful artists’ quotes, and the memoir of an art world celebrity.
Sarah Bodman, senior research fellow at UWE Bristol’s Centre for Fine Print Research and writer of a-n’s Artists’ Books series, picks her ten favourite publications of the year.
‘Of Other Spaces: Where does gesture become event?’ is a two-‘chapter’ exhibition and symposium at Cooper Gallery, Dundee that presents contemporary and historical feminist art from the 1970s onwards in an attempt to create a dialogue between “artists, thinkers, artworks and practices”. Dundee-based artist Valerie Norris reports from Scotland’s ‘she town’.
‘The Last Editions’ is the final chance to celebrate the work of The Multiple Store and to buy one of the high-quality editions it has been commissioning since 1998 by artists including Turner Prize nominees and winners. Co-founder Nicholas Sharp talks about his reasons for starting the project, and why it’s now time to wrap things up.
One of six artists shortlisted for this year’s Artes Mundi prize, John Akomfrah is known for his beautifully-shot film installations that tackle big themes such as race, cultural identity, migration and post-colonialism. Fisun Güner talks to him.
This year’s Compass Festival of live art features 18 events, many of which have walking at their heart as performers and participants infiltrate and interact with the city around them. Lydia Ashman finds out more from the festival’s director and some of the artists taking part.
A new publication by critic and writer John Berger and artist John Christie presents their correspondence of letters and small books, creating ‘artists’ books within a book’. Sarah Bodman finds reading it an enchanting experience.
Scottish artist Katie Paterson has recently published her first monograph, documenting almost 10 years of multidisciplinary projects that range from a 100-year artwork to streetlights powered by lightning. Anneka French finds out more.
The first-ever Hepworth Prize for Sculpture exhibition has just opened at The Hepworth Wakefield, featuring work by shortlisted artists Phyllida Barlow, Steven Claydon, Helen Marten and David Medalla. Pippa Koszerek reports.
The 2016 Artes Mundi prize exhibition at National Museum Cardiff and Chapter features the work of six shortlisted international artists including John Akomfrah and Bedwyr Williams, all vying for the £40,000 award. Fisun Güner reports.
Under the banner ‘Whose Art? Our Art!’, this year’s engage International Conference in Liverpool explored gallery education through the lens of art activism with two days of speeches, discussion and debate. Laura Harris reports from the city.
The influential Belgian artist Luc Tuymans currently has a small show of his own work, ‘Glasses’, at the National Portrait Gallery, while a major James Ensor exhibition he’s curated opens at the Royal Academy later this month. He talks about both with Fisun Güner.
For over 30 years, New York’s Guerrilla Girls have been the feminist conscience of the art world, exposing sexism through protests and original research on posters, stickers, billboards and artwork. Fisun Güner spoke to two of the founding members about their new Whitechapel Gallery show, ‘Guerrilla Girls: Is it even worse in Europe?’
Coming ten months into PAPER Gallery’s year-long mentoring scheme Tracing PAPER, a new exhibition showcases the work of the nine artists involved. Polly Checkland Harding talks to the gallery’s director and two of the artists involved in the scheme.
As a-n/AIR’s Paying Artists campaign prepares for the launch of its Exhibition Payment guide on Wednesday 12 October 2016, we take a look at some of the key moments in the campaign’s history, highlighting the rich and varied dialogue with artists and the wider visual arts sector that has informed its recommendations.
For her current exhibition at De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, Fiona Banner ranges across graphic and font design in her continuing exploration of language and form. Dany Louise talks to her.
For his exhibition in Glasgow, the London-based, Philippines-born artist traces the global tentacles of neoliberalism through an exploration of objects sold at key auctions over the last 25 years. He explains more to Chris Sharratt, including what drew him to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s iconic handbag.
The first-ever biennial Estuary festival presents 16 days of art, literature, music and film ‘curated in response to the spectacular Thames Estuary’. Chris Sharratt talks to Kent-based, water-loving artist Adam Chodzko about his latest iteration of Ghost, featuring a specially adapted kayak with room for one reclining passenger.
Serf, the latest addition to Leeds’ expanding workspace scene, offers much more than studio space for artists – it provides a support structure for early career artists at a crucial time in their development. Lara Eggleton reports.
London-based artist Zoe Childerley has been walking the English-Scottish border as part of a residency with Visual Arts in Rural Communities in Northumberland. Pippa Koszerek talks to her in the lead up to an end of residency exhibition
As part of the Super Slow Way programme in Lancashire, Los Angeles-based artist Suzanne Lacy is bringing the local community together through Sufi chanting, shape-note singing and a banquet for 500 people. Bob Dickinson finds out more.
From community university partnerships to practice-based PhDs and tenured teaching posts, a new set of resources developed for a-n by artist Steve Pool identifies some key ways artists are working within higher education, and considers the value of such relationships to both artists and institutions.
The Nottingham-based artist Wolfgang Buttress attracted huge media interest with The Hive, his bee-inspired sculptural installation for the 2015 Milan Expo UK pavilion. Wayne Burrows speaks to him about the work, currently on display at Kew Gardens, and BEAM, a companion piece on show at this year’s Wirksworth Festival.
The latest project in Castlefield Gallery’s New Art Spaces programme sees a former 1960s office block in the centre of Bolton turned into a temporary work/gallery/studio space for artists. Sara Jaspan takes a look.
The Salford-based artist Maurice Carlin hopes to use his time as the first-ever Clore Visual Artist Fellow to, among other things, “change perceptions… of what it means to be an artist”. He shares his thoughts on the fellowship, its personal and wider significance, and why artists – and the artist-led sector in particular – need to recognise the importance of good leadership.
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