An new exhibition opening in the London Street Gallery in Derry tomorrow will celebrate the work of 48 talented individual artists who have been supported by the City of Culture’s Individual Arts Award.
“Beyond… What’s Possible?” marks the culmination of what has been an amazing year for the gallery, which has hosted 14 exhibitions and welcomed over 9,000 visitors through its doors, including the President of Ireland and patron of the arts Michael D Higgins.
The title chosen deliberately to reflect all that has been achieved by the gallery and the emerging and established artists who have shown their work in this special space this year.
The building was gifted to the Culture Company by the Inner City Trust in April for the rest of the year as a creative space dedicated to supporting and showcasing the work of local artists.
Curator of the gallery and Arts and Education Advisor with the Culture Company, Noelle McAlinden, explained why this final exhibition is so significant.
She said: “Beyond What’s Possible? looks beyond the constraints of 2013, beyond a building, a canvass, beyond the walls, or indeed a gallery and beyond spaces inside or out.
“It reflects the ongoing desire and need to support and promote the significant pivotal role of arts and culture and specifically the role of the individual artist.
“Many of the artists have exhibited throughout the year and completed new work as part of the bursary, and this exhibition in our gallery, though small, features just some of it.
“The artists as always have not disappointed us and continue to scale great heights in celebrating and unlocking their own creativity and those they work with, pushing boundaries, inspiring and challenging us, and in some cases making the ordinary extraordinary.”
The exhibition will run until 10 January 10, opening hours 11.00am to 4.30pm
:: Maggie McKeever, artist and curator, exhibits a range of her paintings specifically created for 2013.
:: Tommy Long exhibits his monumental paintings with insights and reflections captured on large canvasses that are ignited by colour and a passionate connection between the artist and those he has observed and grown up with.
:: Nuala Herron presents portraits of those she knows intimately in a series of self portraits.
:: John Rainey is a contemporary artist who manipulates mixed media in a range of interesting configurations.
:: John McDaid has captured on film experiences and memories of first books read.
:: Justine Scoltock is talented in her use of film as an artist with a social conscience.
:: Alison Lowry scales great heights in her creation of what would seem the impossible exhibiting a Glass quilt suspended almost invisibly with accompanying glass dresses.
:: Mary Kennedy exhibits textiles with a strong connection with the city’s textile heritage in her own unique way.
:: Aine Clarke captures through photographs some of the magical moments in the creation of her amazing culture quilt crafted by citizens of all age groups across the city. The quilt currently adorns the Bedlam building in Pump Street in glorious colour like a Gaudi masterpiece.
:: Denzil Brown another prolific artist exhibits meticulous photographic images capturing Derry as a model city.
:: Deepa Man Kler exhibits her playful illuminated Dogs featured during Lumiere and will illuminate the Gallery courtyard.
:: Bridgeen Gillespie exhibits her cleverly bespoke textiles reflecting an artist talented and connected with a sense of place and purpose.
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