Three art graduates from the 成人B站 have been selected to exhibit at New Art West Midlands 2016, a major event in the region's art calendar.
The exhibition takes place across four major galleries: mac Birmingham, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the Herbert Gallery & Museum, Coventry.
Worcester graduates Jakki Carey, Amber Whittaker and artist-duo Harry Carron and Chris Jackson, known as "Sister", were selected to be part of New Art West Midlands 2016 by a panel of leading figures in the art world.
Malvern resident Jakki Carey was selected for her video work, Ís, which captures a glacial lake in Iceland in what appears to be a direct warning from nature about climate change. Jakki filmed the glacier in gale-conditions in Iceland, struggling against strong winds to keep her camera steady.
"To make the video, I returned to a glacial lake in Iceland I had visited in 2000. The landscape was still affected by the ashes of the volcano that brought the world's airlines to a standstill in 2010, and the combination of white ice, volcanic ash and sea-green water was breathtaking. I spent many hours there filming, but for just a few minutes of that time, from a certain vantage point, the landscape started to really speak. Perhaps it was serendipity - "I prefer to think that it was synchronicity - but whatever you want to call it, by being in the right place with the right kit I was able to capture this moving image that people find meaningful."
As a trans-person, Amber Whittaker will show art that explores the idea of being socially disembodied. Her paintings are surreal and hyper-real, aiming to be both gorgeous and strange.
Artist-duo Sister (Harry
Carron and Chris Jackson) will show a film shot in Worcester and Birmingham, influenced by recent historical and political events.
The four New Art West Midlands exhibitions will open in stages through spring 2016, beginning on Friday, February 12 at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Visitors can expect a mixture of painting, photography, sculpture, video and installation, in what is a unique opportunity to see the latest developments in contemporary art.
Wendy Law, Director of Turning Point West Midlands, said: "It is exciting to see just how much New Art West Midlands has grown over the last four years and to be working again with our partners. There is a diverse range of talent and work coming out of our art schools and universities in the West Midlands. New Art West Midlands provides an important opportunity at a crucial point in the careers of these artists, enabling them to have their work displayed in highly respected galleries and to be seen and enjoyed by a wide public."
New Art West Midlands showcases the work of the best emerging artists from the 成人B站, Birmingham City University, Staffordshire University, Coventry University and University of Wolverhampton. It is organised by Turning Point West Midlands, a network that works to promote and develop contemporary art in the region, hosted by Birmingham City University. With five universities and four venues, with 43 exhibiting artists, the initiative is the largest partnership of its kind in England.
New Art West Midlands is supported with funding from the National Lottery by Arts Council England.