Turner Contemporary, via Turner Contemporary
David Chipperfield’s Turner Contemporary was opened today in Margate by artist Tracey Emin and muscian Jools Holland on the site where J.M.W. Turner (1775- 1881) often visited. Emin grew up in Margate and the grandmother of Holland lived in the Kent town. It was here on the spot of the new museum that Turner was enraptured by the skies which he called “the loveliest in all of Europe.” The stunning light and landscape of the coast of Kent stimulated his imagination and inspired his painting. The dynamic new visual arts venue thus takes heed from Turner’s artistic spirit of curiosity and discovery. The opening exhibit, Revealed displays the work of six contemporary artists, four of which have made new work specifically for the exhibition. Like Turner, they create their art while employing the same spirit of exploration and intrigue into the natural world around them.
Ellen Harvey, Turner Contemporary Revealed Opening, via Turner Contemporary
More text and related links after the jump….
Turner Contemporary Opening, via Turner Contemporary
Turner Contemporary Opening, via Turner Contemporary
Designed by David Chipperfield in the shape of a large glass-like shed, the new contemporary art gallery located in Margate took more than 20 years to complete and cost £17.5m. The galleries look out to the sea while the entrance faces out towards the town forging a direct relationship with the city of Margate. Such a layout hopes to encourage a greater local arts community in an area lacking in a fervent arts scene.
Ellen Harvey, Turner Contemporary Revealed, via Turner Contemporary
Revealed features the work of Douglas Gordon, Daniel Buren, Ellen Harvey, Conrad Shawcross, Russell Crotty and Teresita Fernandez. Daniel Buren’s specifically-commissioned artwork takes its inspiration from the light and sky and disrupts the double-height gallery on the ground floor.
Arcadia, a newly-commissioned work by Ellen Harvey, recreates a life-size replica of the gallery JMW Turner created to house his work. Viewers enter the gallery and witness images of Margate instead of the paintings Turner had displayed during the time of his death.
Russell Crotty, Turner Contemporary Revealed, via Turner Contemporary
Russell Crotty’s installation reveals a series of suspended globes and small books which are covered with depictions of landscapes and seascapes as well as astronomical maps. Crotty draws his inspiration from his experiences as an amateur astronomer and lover of nature.
Teresita Fernandez, Turner Contemporary Opening, via Turner Contemporary
Teresita Fernandez has two works in the exhibiton: Sfumato (September 18) (2009), which incporates pieces of graphite and drawing on the wall to then portray a cloud of rising smoke and a floor piece entitled Eruption (2005) that represents a view from above of the opening of a volcano.
Turner Contemporary Launch Event, via Turner Contemporary
Douglas Gordon, Turner Contemporary Revealed Opening, via Turner Contemporary
Afterturner by Douglas Gordon is also displayed. The work carries a poetic text piece which recalls Turner’s final words: “The sun is God.” This text is found on the gallery’s main stairs.
Visitors view JMW Turner’s The eruption of Souffrier Mountains at the Turner Contemporary launch event, via Turner Contemporary
Following the footsteps of Turner over a century later, these artists works move between what we can see and perceive and that which goes beyond to the sublime and the fantastical.
-R.A. Proctor
Related Links:
Exhibition Page [Turner Contemporary]
Margate Looks to Future as Turner Contemporary Opens [BBC]
Revealed: Turner Contemporary Opens [The Art Newspaper]
Turner Contemporary Gallery [The Guardian]
Margate and its new Turner Contemporary Arts Center [The Telegraph]
Tracey Emin’s Pride at Margate’s Turn Contemporary [BBC]
