York Art Gallery

 

While home for Christmas Amy and I managed to fit in a trip to visit the newly refurbished Art Gallery in York which was a lovely treat. Even though I live so close to York I have only been a handful of times and since it has been redeveloped I thought it was probably time I dropped in to see what is on show. York Art Gallery now has 7 exhibition spaces across two floors as well as an additional entrance at the rear of the building leading out into a newly-opened section of the Museum Gardens. 

Claire Curneen - Irene tending St. Sebastian's Wounds (2006).

Claire Curneen - Irene tending St. Sebastian's Wounds (2006) (Detail).

Philip Eglin.

The downstairs gallery contained some fantastic ceramic work by artists Claire Curneen and Philip Eglin as well as some paintings from the Italian Renaissance. The curation of this room was amazing as everything was thoughtfully linked together through the themes and mediums used within the work. Each piece reference another whether it be through the use of gold, the use of materials or the imagery chosen. I loved Claire Curneen's subtle use of gold lustre and blue cobalt glazing against the cream colour of the porcelain on 'Irene tending St. Sebastian's Wounds'.

The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures - Mark Hearld.

The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures - Mark Hearld.

One of the four rooms on the first floor contained an excellent exhibition curated by Mark Hearld titled 'The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures' which displayed a range of wonderful miscellaneous pictures and objects selected from the York Art gallery, Museum and  Castle stores. Mark Hearld's works respond to the collection of objects which include things like Staffordshire jugs, abandoned carousel horses, and preserved flower arrangements. I loved the exhibition because it was full of things to look at. It was like walking into a cabinet of curiosities.

The Antony Shaw Collection - Kerry Jameson - Chair Form

The Antony Shaw Collection - Kerry Jameson - Critical Friend (1-11)

The next room contained The Antony Shaw Collection, an important holding of contemporary sculpture, ceramics, two dimensional works and other objects attained by Antony Shaw. These two sculptures and three ceramic jars were my favourite items in the collection and were all made by Kerry Jameson. I love the gruesome images of violent killings glazed onto the side of the three jars as they are quite funny, in a strange sort of way.

Manifest - 10,000 hours - Clare Twomey Instillation

Manifest - 10,000 hours - Clare Twomey Instillation

In the main room of the first floor, Manifest - 10,000 hours by Clare Twomey, stands tall in a response to the galleries Collection of Ceramic Art (COCA). Each of the 10,000 ceramic bowls, made by Twomey and local community helpers, represents the 10,000 hours it is said to become a master of something. I really liked this instillation as its impressive scale creates an impact on the viewer reminding us of the amount of time we spend becoming the master of a particular craft, whether it be playing a musical instrument, writing a poem or painting a picture.

I really enjoyed my visit to York Art Gallery because of the attention to the detail of curation. Each room referenced another and everything was perfectly installed. There was also a great variety of work to see. I really liked how Italian renaissance paintings were displayed with modern ceramics and collections of old museum objects were displayed alongside more contemporary collage. Now that I have a members card I will be sure to go more often!