5 February – 27 February – Domesticated
An exhibition of 7 contemporary artists work: Christina Bryant, Julia Douglas, Sarah King, Colin Pantall, Kate Peters, Jem Stiff & Menna Angharad; about the home & the psychological nuances of that built environment.
Domesticated was a multi-disciplinary show including photographs, installation, sculpture & painting; curated by Callum Bell, a Swindon resident and recent Fine Art graduate. Participating artists were based all over the UK, from local Colin Pantall in Bath to Julia Douglas in Edinburgh.
10th March – 27th March – Spring Salon
Artsite celebrated its first birthday with this group exhibition reflecting the diverse talents of Artsite members, an exciting mix of contemporary art work at affordable prices.
—
30th March – 10th April (The Post Modern) – N2
All art is made to affect an audience. Art welcomes its viewers to a realm full of new ideas, new concepts and new ideologies and each observer engages with art in his or her own way. The work may provoke personal understanding by the recollection of private memories, allowing the viewer his or her own unique interpretation of the work. Alternatively, the spectator may well react to the work with immediacy, purely on an emotional level.
The artists of the N2 exhibition produced a collection of diverse works, which they hoped would promote emotional enlightenment and leave the observer both physically, and spiritually invigorated.
By enjoying the art, the viewer extends and improves it; the art is not complete without the viewer’s interaction.
The N2 exhibition was collated and curated by a group of artists who successfully graduated in 2009, and were each awarded a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. The group consisted of Davina Brown, Dee Carter, Fiona Courtney, Pat Feeney, Gill Reeve and Michele Wallington. The work in this exhibition comprised photography, installation and drawing and by offering such diverse works the artists wished to both challenge and inspire their audience.
—
22 April – 25 April – Creative Journeys
Art as Therapy
Artsite celebrates a collaboration with artists and service users to break the taboos of mental health.
We have commissioned Sheena Dean, a recent fine art graduate to produce a collaborative Photographic work with people who have used mental health services, to express their journey to recovery.
—
1 May – 16 May – Home
A stunning exhibition of 2 large-scale installations by local contemporary artist Callum Bell. “Home” & “Hut” have appeared widely around the southwest, including Plymouth, Bristol & Bath but this was the first chance to see any of Bell’s life-sized structural installations in his hometown Swindon.
Bell’s practice champions the re-use of materials because he reasons that “using that which is familiar to myself, materials that usually have an association with the ‘home’, or the idea of, are employed. My logic is that if I want to make work about things familiar to me then the work should start with the ‘home’, as a concept, material & source of inspiration.”
Centred on a fascination with commonplace & domestic objects, Bell creates impressive walk-in structures from discarded domestic materials & objects. Absurd repetition sustains an impressive & uncanny feel from familiar objects. This was a unique opportunity to see 2 of Bell’s largest works.
—
1 May – 31 May – Illustrate Your Point
An Exhibition of Poetry and Art at The Arts Centre, Swindon
An exciting, fascinating, and special collaboration between 13 artists, members of Artsite; and 13 writers,
members of BlueGate Poets, working together in pairs, to produce art inspired by poetry and poems inspired by art for the 17th Swindon Festival of Literature.
The exhibition incorporated some of the finest contemporary painting, sculpture, textile art, drawing and poetry that Swindon has to offer.
Presented in association with Artsite, BlueGate Poets, Artswords, and the Swindon Festival of Literature
BlueGates forum: http://www.bluegatepoets.com/viewforum.php?f=21
Swindon Festival of Literature:
http://www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk/09_sun.html
—
24 May – 29 May – Waving / Drowning
An interactive exhibition by pixelpusher
This series of works re-imagines the artist’s hand in a number of different mediums as a series of modern mystical symbols. Their meaning is uncertain, removed from their traditional context: are they waving at us, or flailing in a sea of lost meaning?
http://pixelist.info/wavingdrowning/
—
15 June – 19 June – Portraiture and Representation
New College FdA Professional Photography present an exhibition of portraiture.
Students from New College studying Professional Photography have looked at the complex issues surrounding the relationship between photographer, model and audience. In response to this, they have each produced a series of images, showing many different aspects of portraiture. This work has now culminated in an exciting, innovative exhibition.
We feel that these images will lead the viewer to question their own ideas and pre-conceptions within the portrait genre. This is an opportunity not to be missed.
“Our social personality is a creation of the minds of others” – Marcel Proust.
—
26 June – 10 July – “A” Level Art & Photography
Swindon Academy
—
6 June – 30 June – Recycled Art at The Beehive, Prospect Place, Swindon, SN1 3JS
Art using recycled materials by 4 local artists Billy Beaumont, Lynette Thomas, Sally Taylor & Adam Crossland
—
14 July – 17 July
St Joseph’s A-Level Art & Photography Students
—
19 July – 25 July – Daniel Webb Photography
Daniel Webb showed off some of his finest work.
—
26 Jul – 11 Aug – Toe Fluff
Explore Steve Rackís colourful land of Toe Fluff. This is a fun and
vibrant character art exhibition that explores Steve Rack’s land of
Toe Fluff, featuring large acrylic and spray painted canvases. The
exhibition is accompanied with dubstep electronica by The
Transitionist, compiled especially for the show.
—
14 August – 28 August – To Catch a Golden Bird
An exhibition of paintings and illustrations Gina Dunford
—
1 September – 15 September – 50/50?
An exhibition of new work by Artsite associates.
—
18 September – 30 September – Parallel Lives
Swindon artists provide a series of responses to various works in The Swindon Collection.
—
8 October – 23 October – Cargo Cult
An installation by Bill Cox