"We are very excited about being involved in such a unique project where the contemporary collector, the artist, the guest curators and the Gallery actively come together in dialogue for the first time." - Stefan van Raay, Director, Pallant House
Pallant House in Chichester is one of Britain's most distinctive modern art museums. Their world-class collection tells the story of Modern British art from 1900 to now, held within the unique setting of a Grade I listed 18th century townhouse and a 21st century contemporary extension.
Their collection of art has evolved predominantly through the Walter Hussey bequest of Modern British Art and the Wilson Gift and Loan of Contemporary art featuring notable works by British Pop Artists and the School of London.
Inspired by Pallant House's 'Collection of Collections', we were invited by the then director, Stefan van Raay, to curate a series of exhibitions that looked at contemporary art through the lens of the collector providing a fascinating insight into the world of today's art collecting. Major works by internationally acclaimed artists were temporarily loaned to the museum from private collections; these were woven in amongst the museum's permanent displays and spaces to create a dynamic dialogue between its historic interior and their contemporary aesthetics, merging the familiar with the cutting edge.
The first in the series, Material Matters, explored the challenges posed by contemporary art and the various mediums used to produce it; from multi-media installations that used light, sound and video, to artworks that were deliberately created on consumable materials that would visibly deteriorate with time; the exhibition played with notions of experimentation and preservation.
Participating Artists
Angela Bulloch
Angust Fairhurst
Sarah Lucas
Oswaldo Macia
Katie Paterson
Charles Sandison
James Turrell
WOKmedia