The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art(NGCA), located in the Sunderland City Library Building, presents ‘Baldock Pope Zahle’.
Running from Saturday 19 March until Saturday 18 June 2016 the exhibition presents a new sculptural installation by Jonathan Baldock, and newly commissioned works by Nicholas Pope and Maria Zahle. Housed in the spacious main gallery this exhibition brings together artists of different generations who each explore an inquisitive relationship to materials and making.
Sunderland City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Health, Wellness and Culture, Councillor John Kelly, said: “Events such as these show the huge variety to be found in art and culture and we are proud to continue making such exhibitions accessible to everyone.”
Cllr Kelly added:” Culture is an intrinsic part of our city, not only do we host touring exhibitions of national importance we also have a vibrant live music scene, Glass Centre, stadium concerts and many award-winning parks and gardens.
I encourage everyone to visit the exhibition and take a little time to appreciate one of the many fantastic cultural offers our city has.”
In ‘Baldock Pope Zahle’ the artists use materials such as glass, textiles and ceramics, translating their own circumstances and lived experiences into exuberant and highly emotive work.
Within the exhibition Jonathan Baldock will present a carpeted installation including domestically scaled figurative sculptures. The artist’s enigmatic sculptures and objects are like characters from an imagined theatrical production. His sculptures are luxuriant and sensual and inspire the imagination.
This commission is the first time Nicholas Pope has worked with glass. This was a technically demanding project. With the artist’s original drawings displayed alongside the chalices, audiences are offered a unique opportunity to see the translation from design to production.
To accompany the exhibition, Pope’s ‘Yahweh and the Seraphim’ (1995) will be presented in the UK for the first time at Sunderland Minster. Last displayed at the Stedelijk Museum in Holland, the sculpture articulates Pope’s theological interests, leading on from the artist’s recent installation of ‘Apostles Speaking in Tongues’ at Salisbury Cathedral in 2014.
Maria Zahle has created a work that will traverse the 30 metre expanse of the main gallery. Using rip-stop nylon, the sculpture will zigzag from floor to ceiling across the exhibition cutting the space in two. By responding to the architecture of the gallery, with its expansive floor space and low ceiling, the artist’s work frames the both the building and the spectator’s movement through the exhibition.
The exhibition will be supplemented with new writing, events, talks and workshops across the NGCA and Sunderland Minster engaging the public in the themes of the exhibition. Nicholas Pope’s glass chalices will be touring to Chapter in Cardiff, opening on the 8th July and will be accompanied by further commissions in an exhibition curated by Hannah Firth.
‘Baldock Pope Zahle’ has been initiated by NGCA curator George Vasey and is generously supported by Sunderland City Council, The National Glass Centre, Chapter, C’Art, Arts Council England, and Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond.
For information about events and exhibitions in the city go to www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk