Towner International is a new biennial exhibition of contemporary art that will take place for the first time at Towner Eastbourne from 6th October 2020 to 10th January 2021. Following an open call, 24 artists have been selected by an esteemed panel including Polly Staple (Director of Collections, British Art, Tate), Turner Prize nominated artist Mike Nelson, and Noelle Collins (Curator, Towner Eastbourne).
Arpita Shah English Blue from the series Nalini
Joe Hill, Director, Towner Eastbourne,
“We had a great reception to the open call for Towner International and the quality and range of submissions has been really impressive. Connecting the work of those living and working in our region with those creating globally will be a really exciting starting point to curate a major exhibition for our galleries this Autumn.”
Benedict Drew, Installation view of The Bad Feel Loops
The exhibition features artists living and making locally in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, as well as those working and exhibiting nationally and internationally. The Brewers Award of £10,000, sponsored by Brewers Decorator Centres, will be given to one of the exhibiting artists along with mentoring from the Towner team. Towner International hopes to address how artistic communities are recording and responding to the economic, political, cultural, and environmental changes that are unfolding across the world today. These themes will be explored through work in a wide range of mediums from photography and moving image to sculpture, installation,ceramics, painting and print.
Ayo Akingbade, still from Dear Babylon, 2019. 16mm and HD video, colour, sound. 21 minutes
Video works reflecting on the geo-political situation in Iraq and textiles reworking ideas of colonial photography will sit alongside reflections on diasporic cultural displacement, memory, trauma, environmental destruction and devastation. Notions of identity, community, collaboration and time are also threaded through Towner International, addressing these themes from both a global and domestic socio-political viewpoint.
Stuart Middleton
Exhibiting Artists
Adam Chodzko, Ailbhe Ní Bhriain, Alexi Marshall, Arpita Shah, Ayo Akingbade, Benedict Drew, Carla Wright, Ian Land, Jack Shearing, Joe Packer, Jonathan Baldock, Julia Crabtree and William Evans, Maeve Brennan, Marianne Fahmy, Mohammed Sami, Mu-Tien Tammy Ho, Omar Vega Macotela, Paul Becker, Rita Evans, Ryan Orme, Saskia Olde Wolbers, Sherko Abbas, Stuart Middleton.
Jonathan Baldock BALD 23 Maske XXI-
10 artists have been chosen from the regions of Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, 10 from elsewhere across the UK and 4 from international locations.
Adam Chodzko, tool chest
Noelle Collins, Curator, Exhibitions and Offsite, Towner Eastbourne, said,
“Towner’s location on England’s South Coast has been at the core of the gallery’s identity for almost a century and we wanted to work with artists who have made work in some way reflective of this, allowing us to draw together viewpoints on landscape, borders, migration, environment and identity. I look forward to bringing these works together for Towner International.”
Ian Land Isle Of Sheppey
Towner International 6th October – 10th January FREE entry more info:
townereastbourne.org.uk/towner-international-2020/
The Brewers Award of £10,000, sponsored by Brewers Decorator Centres, will be given to one of the exhibiting artists along with mentoring from the Towner team.
Arpita Shah Parimal Gardens from the series Nalini
About Towner Eastbourne
Collecting and exhibiting contemporary art for almost 100 years, Towner Eastbourne, sits where the coast and the South Downs meet. Led by Director Joe Hill since 2018, Towner presents exhibitions of national and international importance for audiences in Eastbourne, the UK and beyond, showcasing the most exciting and creative developments in modern and contemporary art. Towner develops and supports artistic practice and collaborates with individuals, communities and organisations to deliver an inclusive, connected and accessible public programme of live events, film and learning. Towner’s collection of almost 5000 works is best known for its modern British art – including the largest and most significant body of work by Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) – and a growing collection of international contemporary art.
