An exhibition showcasing new work by ten contemporary ceramicists will be held at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery from 21st September 2016 – 28 January 2017.
Entitled ‘From Where I’m Standing’ this new display offers a fresh perspective on Swindon’s collection of modern British art, enabling us to see it through the eyes of ten talented ceramic artists. They are Fenella Elms, Sarah Purvey, Patricia Volk, Keith Varney, Claire Loder, Joanna Still, Sasha Wardell, Mary Jane Evans, Jo Taylor and Peter Hayes.
In 2015 this diverse group of artists approached Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, looking for an opportunity to learn more about its wonderful art collection and use it to inspire their work. Over the past year, each artist has selected one or more artworks from the collection and responded by creating a unique ceramic for this show. In most cases the artists have selected paintings, taking the opportunity to respond to two dimensional works using their three dimensional medium. Meanwhile one artist has been inspired by a much-loved ceramic piece, and another has ventured outside the art gallery to the archaeology collection.
This project has provided Swindon Museum and Art Gallery with a special opportunity to work closely with artists from the West Country who have achieved significant national and international reputations, with work in public collections in the UK and abroad. Each talented artist brings something fresh and unique to contemporary ceramics. From delicate porcelain layers to mixed media sculpture, monumental vessels to figurative abstraction, and refined baroque elegance to natural erosion; their diverse styles and approaches are instantly recognisable.
‘From Where I’m Standing’ will showcase the ten new ceramic pieces created by the participating artists, as well as over thirty works they have selected from Swindon’s collection. This will include paintings by John Nash, Basil Beattie, Howard Hodgkin and Graham Sutherland.
The exhibition runs from Wednesday 21st September 2016 – Saturday 28th January 2017. Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in Bath Road, Old Town, is open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am-3pm.
