Exhibitions
Jennifer Douglas
Saturday 6 March - Sunday 18 April
Gallery 1 and 2
An exhibition of newly commissioned work by the Gateshead based artist Jennifer Douglas.
The exhibition invites the viewer to test their boundaries and preconceived notions of objects and space, fiction and reality. Spanning drawing, sculpture, and installation, Douglas' work reveals structures of thought that are both abstract and literal. Her materials are carefully selected for their distinctive qualities or characteristics which engage the viewer in an aesthetic lanuage that is typical of her practice.
Jennifer's installations become a place of transition 'betwixt and between' worlds of understanding, where unpredictability and disorientation enable an opening up to something new in which intricate and intriguing worlds of fantasy are created.
Douglas' recent projects include a billboard commission for the Jerwood Space in London and numerous international solo and group exhibitions including those at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Hales Gallery, London and the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing.
Throughout the Easter school holidays there are plenty of exciting activities and art workshops at the dli, visit the Art Gallery Events Page for more details!
Juliet Chenery-Robson
A Diagnosis of Exclusion
Saturday 24 April - Sunday 6 June
Gallery 1
County Durham based artist Juliet Chenery-Robson exhibits a series of portraits detailing the lives of those living in the shadow of Myalgic Encephalopathy, usually known as ME.
Often referred to as the disease of a thousand names, M.E. affects over 250,000 people in the UK and many thousands more throughout the world. Yet this devastating illness is shrouded behind an aura of scepticism.
Often regarded as an 'invisible' illness due to its internal symptoms and the uncertainty surrounding its causes and existence, Chenery-Robson seeks to make this somewhat misunderstood illness 'visible' to an often disbelieving audience.
And if you are looking for something to do over the June half-term there are more art workshops and activities taking place at the dli. Visit the art gallery events page for more information.
Rosy Martin
Too Close to Home? - Holding the everyday still
Saturday 24 April - Sunday 6 June
Gallery 1, 2 and 3
This installation by Rosy Martin features photographs and videos, offering glances at fragments of working class suburban social history.
Martin maps the traces of 'absent presence.' The camera's eye clings tenderly to every worn surface of the artist's childhood home; a 1930's semi-detached house where her ninety-three year old widowed mother lived amidst interior decoration and paintings created by her father. This attempt to retain a sense of place forever focuses us upon the contradictions of our attachments.
Photography offers the opportunity to relfect upon and confront in isolation, elements of lived experience, made strange by their sudden removal from the continuum of day-to-day living, stilled
Rosy Martin evolved and developed phototherapy with the late Jo Spence, from 1983. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and published widely since 1985. Her work examines the overlaps between photography, memory, identity and unconscious processes.
Paul Rooney
Saturday 12 June - Sunday 18 July
Gallery 1
Exploring themes of the passage of time, personal and artistic regrets, failure, abandonment and irretrievable loss, Paul Rooney has created a newly commissioned video exhibition for Durham Art Gallery.
Using County Durham and the film 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg' as his inspiration Rooney's work centres on a petrol station in the county and explores a dialogue between a fictional artist and his former lover and their relationship to the site.
Winner of the second Northern Art Prize in 2008, Rooney has recently shown work in group projects at the Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, and Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid. He has had solo shows at Matt's Gallery, London and Collective Gallery, Edinburgh and his work was included in the touring exhibition British Art Show 6. Rooney's work has also been broadcast on both Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music.
Commissioned with support from the Elephant Trust.
Hannah Marsden
Saturday 12 June - Sunday 18 July
Gallery 2
Hannah produces sculpture and performances that reflect on the diversity and commonality of people across the world. She selects and combines objects and activities from a variety of cultures, to express both difference and repetition.
For this exhibition Hannah explores the symbolic potential of the umbrella to create a vibrant installation inspired by her observations and interactions with local people.
Hannah studied at Newcastle University. She has shown at Platform00000008, Gallery Glue, and Saltburn Artist Projects.