Sep 05 2010

Africa 50

Category: exhibition,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 22:00

Africa 50 - photos by Tom PointonOne of the visitors to Contact exhibition this week has been Tom Pointon. Tom came along and told us about an exciting new exhibition to mark the 50 years since seventeen African Nations emerged from colonial rule. There’s an exhibition and installation running at Birmingham Central Library Art Gallery, Gallery 33/36 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery during September.

From 20-28 November it moves to the Gathering Space in Wolverhampton, then during December you can see it at the Friary Gallery at Lichfield Library.

Want to know more? You can email Tom.

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Sep 01 2010

Make contact…

Category: Birmingham,exhibition,photographers,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 09:00

So, you all know about the exhibition, right? Starts on Friday (Matt and Ian spent the day hanging it today). Even if I do say so myself (and it’s fine that I do, I’m not one of the artists) it looks fab. Eclectic. Thought provoking. Fun. Beautiful. The image above is from one of a series by Matt Murtagh. See more of the amazing unofficial city twinning portraits he’s made in the show.

Have you decided yet when you’re coming down? A really good day to do that would be on Thursday 9th September, about 6.30pm.. That’s the night we’re having our Artists Talk – there’ll be wine, photography, friendly artists and good conversation. I’m looking forward to hearing some more of the stories behind people’s work -and I know they’re looking forward to telling them.

No need to RSVP, just come along. We look forward to seeing you there.

Contact
Rhubarb East Gallery,
25 Heath Mill Lane
Digbeth
B9 4AE

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Aug 17 2010

Contact – an exhibition at Rhubarb East

Category: Photospace,exhibition,photographers,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 21:00

We’ve been quiet on here. I admit it. I’ve even had emails about it…(thanks to those of you who got in touch!)

We’ve been putting all our energy recently into creating a new show in partnership with a very talented group of photographers from around the Midlands, called The Photography Collective.

We’re now at that stage where we want to talk about the exhibition. We’re actually very excited about it – given that it’s an associate show of the recent Rhubarb-Rhubarb International Photography and it’s another opportunity to show the wealth of talent we have in the Midlands, and prove again how much need and support there is for a permanent space for photography in Birmingham.

We have a new website for lots more details about the show, and a blog which talks a bit about our journey to get there. I’ll post more details on here in due course – but the new website is shiny, and you should go and have a look!

The exhibition was inspired by discussions within the group on the nature of contact, with each of the photographers creating work within their own practice exploring their thoughts on the theme. The variety of styles and formats challenges the viewer to consider how contact is made between objects both animate and inanimate, between the past and present, between analogue and digital and between photographer and subject.

The show is curated by Kathryn Klizsat, the accomplished curator at Light House – the centre for film, video, art and photography in Wolverhampton. Kathryn has put the show together from a larger body of work from emerging talent and established photographers from across the two groups. The result is a diverse and exciting new body of work seen for the first time here in Birmingham.

Come along - September 3rd to September 18th 2010 – 11am -5.30, Rhubarb East, Custard Factory, Birmingham.

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Jun 14 2010

I’m a photographer, not a terrorist.

Category: Birmingham,exhibition,photographers,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 21:22

Another show in Birmingham next Friday – 25th June 2010 – the C&G 7512 Diploma in Professional Photo Imaging – Adult learners end of year show.

For one night only, it seems, the Masonic Halls (next to the Mailbox) will be turned into an exhibition celebrating the work of the graduates of this diploma – one of the only courses of this type for adult learners in the city.

The exhibition, entitled “I am a photographer, not a terrorist” is based on the students’ experiences and reactions from trying to take images in public places and the effects on their work of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act.

With a print auction offering the chance to own some great work by talented professional photographers, and a raffle with some prizes on offer it’s set to be more entertaining than your average private view!

For more information on the show see their website.

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May 26 2010

Invite to an Artist Talk at Rhubarb Rhubarb

Category: Birmingham,photographers,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 21:52

We at Birmingham Photospace very much admire everything Rhubarb Rhubarb do for international photography (and Birmingham!) so we were very excited to be invited to the Artist Talk of their first exhibition in their new premises. We’re going to go along to see the Jackson Twins talk about their work – and we’re very much looking forward to immersing themselves in their art for a couple of hours.

It takes place on Saturday 5th June between 2 and 4pm – do come along with us?

About the Artists:
The Jackson Twins won a Rhubarb Bursary last year and showed their portfolio at the promenade at the 2009 International Review. Alasdair Foster, Director of the Australian Centre for photography, one of the Rhubarb Reviewers, immediately offered them a show in Sydney…..
They were the stars of the week 4 Portfolio Review at Fotofest 2010 and are now being asked to show their work throughout the world.

About the Exhibition:
Rhubarb say: The Uses of Enchantment’, the first show at Rhubarb-East, brings together two series of work by The Jackson Twins, from the West Midlands, with Vee Speers from Paris. Both inspired by fables and fairy stories, nostalgia and psychology, they propose, at first, two seemingly playful series of portraits, featuring a birthday party for children and some double trouble using costume, disguise and female allure… Yet beyond the first enchantment, are troubled stories of war, power, intrigue and dark, magical and potent forces…

The Jackson Twins have just returned from the opening of their exhibition in Sydney, Australia, as a result of winning a Rhubarb/Arts Council Bursary last year. Vee Speers is a regular visitor to the Rhubarb International Review and is collected by museums and individuals throughout the world – including DZ Bank, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Michael Wilson and Elton John. She will shortly be showing with Annie Liebovitiz and Joel Peter Witkin in the premiere show at Fotografiska – the new phototography Museum in Stockholm.

Rhonda Wilson, Creative Director of Rhubarb-Rhubarb, says, “ For years we have watched while the sometimes extraordinary talent emerging from our programme of support and mentoring schemes, has been shown by other people, both in the UK and in international spaces. Now we have the pleasure of showing the results of our efforts, in collaboration with some of the world’s most interesting image makers. The first show is just fantastic and we have created a whole environment for the photographs. If you are into Alice in Wonderland, or even if you’re not – you will love to fall down this particular visual rabbit hole.

See you there?

Rhubarb East Gallery
Rhubarb Building
25 Heathmill Lane, Digbeth
Birmingham B9 4AE

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May 10 2010

Beautiful Northfield

Category: Birmingham,photographers,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 22:38

A friend of Birmingham Photospace, Jane Baker emailed us this week to let us know about an interesting community photography project that the Northfield Eco Centre are running.

There’s an open photography competition (with some pretty heavyweight judges on board) and some workshops and even an exhibition.

If you live, work or travel to Northfield you’re welcome to enter your images of the neighbourhood. But hurry! You’ve got ’till the end of May to take your photo.

For all the details do have a look at their website. Best of luck to you all!

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Mar 28 2010

Photos of the Private view

Category: birmingham's people,photography — Liz Garlinge @ 22:28

Birmingham's people

So, the exhibition has settled in nicely in its new home, at Bryant Priest Newman, and we’re busy planning on our events for 2010. It seems like a good time to show you the amazing and wonderful photos our friend Ian James took of the private view at The Drum.

For a group who got together following a post on a Flickr messageboard, it seemed strange that we didn’t have a Flickr account of our own, so we’ve set one up, and you can see Ian’s photos there. There are some wonderful shots in the collection- so many, many thanks to Ian who came along as a volunteer to record the night. As ever, we’re inspired by the talent and generosity of people in the city – makes us even keener to get our permanent space for photographers!

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Jan 07 2010

Space Lands by Paul Freeman at Three White Walls

Category: Birmingham,photography — Matt Murtagh @ 14:05

090506-Spacelands-4-2From today Space Lands by Paul Freeman will be at the Three White Walls Gallery in the Mailbox.

Documenting the construction of ‘Spaceport America’ in the New Mexico desert it examines the relationship between exploration, militarism and commercialism.

Private View: Thursday 7th January 2010, 6.30-8.30pm.
Exhibition runs until 15th February.

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Nov 01 2009

Birmingham Seen at BMAG

Category: Birmingham,photography — Matt Murtagh @ 17:09

Running from 31st October 2009 – 3rd January 2010 the Birmingham Seen exhibition at the Gas Hall in Birmingham’s Museum and Art Gallery explores how photographers and artists in other mediums have represented the changing city of Birmingham.

The timelapse video below (compiled by 7 Inch Cinema from photographs by Derek Fairbrother) shows the building of the iconic 60′s Central Library being built (and the beautiful 19th century library being pulled down)

We hope to be able to review the show very soon, I’m especially looking forward to seeing some of the images pulled out of the depths of Birmingham Central Library’s National Collection of Photography.

Birmingham timelapse from 7inch cinema on Vimeo.

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Sep 24 2009

Birmingham’s People 6 – The Gruffalo

Category: Portraiture,birmingham's people,photography — Matt Murtagh @ 15:38


“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.”
Oscar Wilde

Liz has handled the Birmingham’s People posts up until now so I thought it was about time I wrote one. I photographed the majority of the portraits over the weekend and it was both an incredibly intense couple of days and an immensely rewarding time meeting so many different people. It completely threw me out of my comfort zone, something which every photographer needs from time to time.

The ‘Gruffalo’ here is sporting wonderful makeup and was having a great time at Artsfest. His image, in a very direct way, reminds me of the masks that so many people adopt when faced with an annoying photographer trying to capture their image.

The photographic portraiture that I love, and attempted to explore with this project, is that which attempts to break through the mask, to show something human and real away from stock poses that are practised and stale. It’s an ambitious goal to have and made much easier by subjects like this who was incredibly at ease and calm with the camera, unlike many of the adults!





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