YINKA SHONIBARE CREATES A WORK FOR CAMPAIGN AGAINST CUTS

A striking new work by Fourth Plinth artist Yinka Shonibare was unveiled today as part of the campaign supported by over 100 leading British artists against the government’s proposed funding cuts of the arts.

The artist’s work shows a slash across a piece of brightly coloured African fabric for which the artist has become well known with the caption: “Stop Cutting”.

Yinka Shonibare MBE has become well known for work that explores issues of race and class through the media of painting, sculpture, photography and, most recently, film. He was a Turner prize nominee in 2004 and he was awarded an MBE, a title that he has added to his professional name. His commission for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, was installed in May this year and in June his major new public art work covering the gable end of a thirteen-storey tower block, commissioned by the South London Gallery to celebrate their expansion, was unveiled in Camberwell.

Each week the work of a different artist, created in response to the campaign, will be released. The campaign was launched 10 September with a new video by David Shrigley and a campaign poster by Jeremy Deller, Scott King and William Morris. This was followed by a new work by Mark Wallinger.

Supporters of the artists’ campaign are being asked to sign a petition which will be sent to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. It points out that it has taken 50 years to create a vibrant arts culture in Britain that is the envy of the world and appeals to the government not to slash arts funding and risk destroying this long-term achievement and the social and economic benefits it brings to all.

The artists acknowledge that reasonable cuts and efficiencies are necessary but
they fear that the 25% cuts being proposed will destroy much of what has been achieved and will have a particularly damaging impact on national and regional museums and their collections.

The campaign is being organised by the London branch of a national consortium of over 2,000 arts organisations and artists dedicated to working together and finding new ways to support the arts in the UK.

Full petition details on:

http://www.savethearts.org.uk

MARK WALLINGER CREATES NEW WORK FOR CUTS CAMPAIGN

A new work by Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger is released today as part of a campaign supported by over 100 leading British artists against the government’s proposed funding cuts of the arts.

Mark Wallinger’s work shows a copy of Turner’s masterpiece, The Fighting Temeraire, 1839 by Joseph Mallord William Turner, in the collection of the National Gallery in London. A slash in the painting carries a notice “25% cut” and underneath the work a caption reads: “If 25% were slashed from arts funding the loss would be immeasurable.”

Turner referred to The Fighting Temeraire as “his darling”, refusing to ever sell it until he finally donated it to the National Gallery. When the nation was asked by the BBC to nominate the greatest painting on show in the UK’s museums and galleries it came first with 25% of the votes.

The title of Mark Wallinger’s new work is “Reckless”. He explains: “I describe the cuts as a reckless adventure. In fact temeraire means reckless in French and by removing the obsolete ship from the scene I am rendering the painting wreckless.”

Each week the work of a different artist, created in response to the campaign, will be released. The campaign was launched 10 September with a new video by David Shrigley and a campaign poster by Jeremy Deller, Scott King and William Morris.

Supporters of the artists’ campaign are being asked to sign a petition which will be sent to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. It points out that it has taken 50 years to create a vibrant arts culture in Britain that is the envy of the world and appeals to the government not to slash arts funding and risk destroying this long-term achievement and the social and economic benefits it brings to all.

The artists acknowledge that reasonable cuts and efficiencies are necessary but 
they fear that the 25% cuts being proposed will destroy much of what has been achieved and will have a particularly damaging impact on national and regional museums and their collections.

The campaign is being organised by the London branch of a national consortium of over 2,000 arts organisations and artists dedicated to working together and finding new ways to support the arts in the UK.

Full petition details on:

http://www.savethearts.org.uk

ARTISTS JOIN CAMPAIGN AGAINST FUNDING CUTS

Over a hundred leading artists including David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Anthony Caro, Howard Hodgkin, Anish Kapoor, Richard Hamilton, Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley and Tracey Emin have joined the campaign to make the case against the proposed 25% cuts in government funding of the arts.

The campaign is launched today with the release of a new video animation by artist David Shrigley highlighting the effect of the funding cuts and a new work by Jeremy Deller with Scott King. Each week the work of a different artist, created in response to the campaign, will be released. Mark Wallinger will present the next project.

Supporters of the artists’ campaign will be asked to sign a petition which will be sent to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. It points out that it has taken 50 years to create a vibrant arts culture in Britain that is the envy of the world and appeals to the government not to slash arts funding and risk destroying this long-term achievement and the social and economic benefits it brings to all.

The artists acknowledge that reasonable cuts and efficiencies are necessary but
they fear that the 25% cuts being proposed will destroy much of what has been achieved and will have a particularly damaging impact on national and regional museums and their collections.

The campaign is being organised by the London branch of a national consortium of over 2,000 arts organisations and artists dedicated to working together and finding new ways to support the arts in the UK.

Please visit the Save the Arts website (including links to Facebook, Vimeo and Twitter) and to sign the online petition, www.savethearts.org.uk

CALL OUT FOR ARTISTS FOR LIVE ART SPEED DATE

Live Art Speed Date 25th September As part of Fierce Festival, London based art collective Stoke Newington International Airport present a new concept in intimate performance and live art curation. 20 artists and performers will take over the venue to perform individual ‘Dates’ to 60 audience members over the evening. The ‘Dates’ are presented as a vibrant fairground of private encounters between artist and audience. Each date is 4 minutes long, designed for an audience of one. Artists are asked to submit proposals for a repeatable, four-minute long intimate encounter. There will be a workshop in the space on the 23rd Sept (TBC) Concept:
• A four minute long encounter, date or meeting for an audience of one.
• The ‘Date’ should relate to intimacy, privacy, the encounter and status.
• The date should experiment with the opportunity of being so close to, and alone with the individual audience person.
• Performances will take place in a private booth, or at a table
• These are guidelines and a starting point, we want the artists to feel free to interpret them.

Don’t be afraid to go that little bit too far. Intimacy is a powerful thing, and not to be wasted. This is a fantastic opportunity for artists who want to:
• Experience and explore the one-on-one performance concept
• Test out new fragments of ideas
• Widen networks
• Try something new!

LASD has been produced at the Dublin and Edinburgh Fringe, Arcola Theatre, Camden People’s Theatre, STK, Bristol Old Vic, and SuperDelux in Tokyo. For examples please see www.stkinternational.co.uk/STK/LASD.html

For more information or answers to questions please email info@stkinternational.co.uk Also check out the BAC’s recent one-on-one festival www.bac.org.uk