New Art West Midlands returns in February 2017 to showcase some of the most exciting emerging artists in the region.
31 artists have been selected to take part in the four New Art West Midlands 2017 exhibitions, which take place at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, mac birmingham, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Opening on Saturday 18 February 2017, the exhibitions include brand new painting, installation, sculpture, photography, video, animation and digital artworks, and together give an insight into the latest trends and concerns in contemporary art.
Highlights of New Art West Midlands 2017 include:
Yazmin Boyle’s monumental 3-metre-long metal sculptures Orbita (2016), made of industrial steel strap overlaid with a feminine lace print and formed into three-dimensional funnels and circles. On show at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, the sculptures touch on themes of gender stereotyping.
Amy Inston’s warm-hearted film Pipe Dream weaves images of Hollywood glamour and the American Dream with footage of the real domestic life of her working-class Birmingham family.
Lindy Brett’s installation Observations uses video and sound from the Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank, whilst Susan Brisco’s video works examine plant intelligence and neuro-biology. Jade Hamilton’s uses glass biomes filled with plants in a comment on air pollution, whilst Lisa Nash’s sculpture of rabbits (pictured) are a comment on human relationships with animals. Milly Rowland’s prints depict an imagined marine world full of natural ecosystems and mutated forms.
Thai artist Tuschara Kiewpukee’s kitsch paintings have a spiritual feel, yet are filled with popular American cartoon characters in a celebration of pop culture. Kate Morgan Clare interviewed World War II evacuees, now in their 80s, to inform her installation of paper dresses, which are decorated with fabric prints from the period. Her work also reflects on the experiences of families fleeing the current conflict in Syria.
A sense of place can be found in Bruno Grilo’s sculpture and in Natalie Seymour’s photographic collage of an abandoned Smethwick factory, a world frozen in time. Poppy Twist’s scarves are emblazoned with 1960s girl group lyrics, recalling feelings of anxiety and being lost, communicated through the tool of songwriting. Megan Evans uses make-up to paint her portraits of women undergoing cosmetic surgery, and Lorna Brown uses her own body in a series of portraits examining perceptions of Black female beauty.
Each of the exhibiting artists has graduated from one of the region’s six art schools within the last three years: Birmingham City University, University of Wolverhampton, University of Worcester, Staffordshire University, Coventry University and Hereford College of Arts.
New Art West Midlands 2017
Saturday 18 February to 14 May 2017
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
mac birmingham
Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Private View: Thursday 16 February 2017 at mac birmingham
