The British Council has acquired Below another sky; over 70 print works by 20 artists for its collection.
Curated by Alexia Holt on behalf of the Scottish Print Network, with support from Creative Scotland, the project saw 10 Scottish artists and 10 Commonwealth artists undertaking research residencies during 2013 and 2014. Exhibited in Glasgow in 2014 at the time of the Commonwealth Games, and as part of the Glasgow 2014 programme, the work has since been shown across Scotland and will now become part of the British Council's International Touring programme. By touring the exhibition, British Council hope to continue the international exchanges started by and embodied in the Below another sky project.
Prints acquired by the British Council Collection include those by Turner Prize nominees Jim Lambie (2005), David Shrigley (2013), and Janice Kerbel (2015). A taster of Below another sky is on display at the British Council offices in Spring Gardens, London until 2 November 2015.
Coinciding with the exhibition in London, British Council has supported Annis Fitzhugh, the Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio to present a paper “Means of Exchange” at the Impact 9 International Printmaking Conference in Hangzhou, China (22-26 September 2015). Anni's paper explores the works of four Below another sky residents (Julia Dault, Emily Floyd, Robert Orchardson and David Shrigley) from a printer's point of view.
Alexia Holt, Curator of Below another sky will also give a public talk at Spring Gardens on Friday 9 October 2015 at 6:30pm focusing on the unique role the five print studios involved in the project play in the support, development and promotion of contemporary visual arts in Scotland. This talk will reflect upon the value of collaboration and the importance of research residencies and international exchange to the development of new work.
To reserve a space please email visual.arts@britishcouncil.org