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Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art
From March to June 2024 NGCA hosted two painting exhibitions, a first for the gallery since it has been based in National Glass Centre.
My Echo, My Shadow was the largest solo show to date of British painter Laura Lancaster. Presenting new paintings made over the last few years My Echo, My Shadow delved into the current practice of one of the North East’s most celebrated and accomplished painters. Laura’s exhibition proved popular with over 9,000 visitors and over 20,000 views of an interview with the artist in her Newcastle studio. Over 2,000 free exhibition guides and activity sheets featuring a new text by Laura and a full colour artwork print, designed by Foundation Press were given to audiences.
The Collection Space presented Seb Trend’s exhibition XTRALIFE, a series of ‘melted photographs’ in artist made frames produced specifically for the exhibition, marking the first time the photographs had been exhibited together as a solo show. XTRALIFE built on Trend’s ongoing investigations into states of ‘in- between’: molten and solid, representation and abstraction, permanence and momentary.
The Autumn programme focused on working class communities and the North East’s heavy industries. The Main Gallery presented Fixing Time, a retrospective exhibition across two venues – Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art – exploring 50 years of work by renowned British artist and photographer Ian Macdonald. The exhibition across the two venues reached over 17,500 visitors, with three sold out talks, 2,000 exhibition guides and a new artist interview film watched by over 20,000 people. The exhibition achieved national acclaim, being featured in The Guardian, a 5 star review in the Morning Star, Creative Tourist’s number one show to visit in the North, and others. The show was accompanied by gallery activities, a portrait drawing station, an artist workshop session for 50 students from Northern School of Art, and numerous school visits and talks. Two of Ian’s photographs were acquired into National Portrait Gallery’s collection off the back of the exhibition.
It’s really symbolic of human pain and struggle, beautiful work.
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To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Miners’ Strike – which had, and still has, a profound impact on Sunderland and the North East of England – NGCA Collection Space screened Jeremy Deller’s The Battle of Orgreave, the first time it has been exhibited in Tyne & Wear, alongside a selection of photographs taken during the 1984 North East Miners’ Strike.
In Winter, two exhibitions focused on portraiture, family, friendships and communities. In the Main Gallery The Skin We Live In was the inaugural exhibition of artwork from NGCA’s collection brought together in a group show exploring contemporary portraiture through photography, painting, sculpture, film, and printmaking. The exhibition featured artwork by 28 contemporary artists and photographers who turned the tables on historic associations and practices of portraiture to go beyond ‘skin deep’ delving further into our shared human condition.
Away from the gallery artwork from the NGCA collection went on long term loan to public buildings around Sunderland including sculptural artworks by Dan Holdsworth in City Hall and large scale photographic prints by John Kippin in The Beam. The show in NGCA Collection Space, My Name is Harry… was the first gallery exhibition of British photographer Harry Griffin on display across NGCA Collection Space and Pop Recs. The exhibition comprised hundreds of photographs from Harry’s photographic archive providing a unique insight into Britain’s vibrant comedy circuit, family and friendships, moments of joy, celebration and boredom all shot through with wit, humour and candid moments of life on tour. Curated with Gabrielle Barkess-Kerr, the exhibition was produced in partnership with the Northern Centre of Photography, University of Sunderland. Alongside the exhibition was an in-conversation between Harry Griffin and Andy Dawson (Athletico Mince Podcast) and Harry’s first ever publication with over 30 full colour images and new essays. Filmed backstage at Glee Club Birmingham, a new interview film was produced with comedian, presenter and painter Joe Lycett and Harry Griffin, viewed over 200,000 times online.
This year NGCA acquired new works by Ian Macdonald, Seb Trend, Janina Sabaliauskaitė, Johannah Churchill and Michael Daglish into its collection.
As a visiting southerner, this has inspired me to explore the North East
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