Galleries - June 2011

Brit Art Svengali, Michael Craig- Martin, can be heard in discussion on June 11: “In my experience many of the most original things that have been done in my lifetime have been done by people who have taken what in a standardised situation was a weakness and turned it into a strength.” Aldeburgh itself has always had more than its fair share of gall- eries, exhibitions, talks and eve- nts, but a perennial favourite am- ong locals and visitors alike is Piers Feetham’s summer exhi- bition when he fills his house and garden with a mixed selection of paintings, prints, ceramics and sculpture. The house, with its view over the town, is itself a classic example of Seaside Style, thanks to the interior colour schemes and decorations by artist Caroline McAdam Clark. Along the High Street, a wide selection of work, by artists some but not all of whom claim to have found inspiration under East Ang- lian skies, is on sale at Alde- burgh Contemporary Arts . The spotlight in June falls on Paul Evans, whose colourful and evo- cative seascapes and landscapes gave the owners, Andrew and Julie Knibbs, the idea of setting up the gallery in 2002. They also stock ceramics: Pat Armstrong, Peter Beard and Tim Andrews in particular catch the eye. SD coastline now has a host of exc- ellent galleries scattered through its prosperous little towns, one of my favourites being the School House Gallery , just outside Wells- next-the-Sea, which always has shows (among others) dedicated to the vigorous, painterly little landscapes of the late Alfred Cohen. In the south of the county meanwhile, a more rural comm- unity altogether, artist or festival led initiatives such as the Burgh Apton Sculpture and the Harle- ston and Waveney Art Trails pre- dominate. The latter, on three weekends from 29/30 June, takes in 30-odd artists’ studios and in a miraculous river landscape is one of the least daunting. Take in also modern print specialist David Case in Brockdish. NU SNAP sounds like the answer to a cryptic crossword clue: “Cut off place near the sea beloved of festival goers”. In fact, it’s the um- brella name for a compilation of sculpture, video, photography and other artyworks to keep the visual arts flag flying at Snape Maltings during the Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts (June 10-26). A good opportunity to see what the ABAs are up to, now that they have outgrown the telluric fancies of youth. Perhaps a return to East Anglian roots (or in some cases, a putting-down of roots in this slee- py corner of the country) will have re-focused their creative abilities. EASTANGLIA NORWICH & NORFOLK ALDEBURGH FESTIVAL 28. GALLERIES JUNE 11 With its always well-regarded and lively art school and art-school gallery (until recently under the radical direction of the remarkable Lynda Morris) Norwich has long ago come out of its (wonderful) 18th/19th C. dream of Cotman and Crome and become home to a thriving community of practising younger artists. Key also in this development has been the Uni- versity of East Anglia and its iconic Norman Foster designed Sains- bury Centre for the Visual Arts . A home not only to top-class collec-tions of world and cont- emporary art but also art-history degree courses, it has, since a recent major refurbishment, offer- ed a greatly expanded contemp- orary exhibition programme. Their sho-ws are always immaculately pre- sented and the current one, from their recent acquisition of portrait photographer John Hedg- ecoe’s archive (from 21 June) should prove no exception. Based for the most part at the RCA, Hedgecoe photographed virtually everyone who was anyone in art – Bacon, Frink, Chadwick and Lucie Rie among them. Works by those artists are being shown alongside Hedgecoe’s vivid images. All this has, not unexpectedly, stimulated a burgeoning gallery scene in the city itself – 18/21 in Tombland and Grapevine in Un- thank Road among them – but, perhaps even more crucial has been the ripple effect on the rest of the county. The North Norfolk Images fromLeft toRight: J ohnHedgecoe, ‘Henry Moore’,1966,©2011JohnHedgecoe/TopFoto Paul Evans, ‘Summertime’,atAldeburghContemporary Arts. AlfredCohen,‘SmallHaven’,c.1975