the Nunnery - THE BOOK SHOW

Curated by Simon Morley and Tanya Peixoto

Fiona Banner, Gemma Bruce, Tracey Bush, Jonathan Callan, William Cobbing, Jenny Farmer, Alec Finlay , John Fisher, Mary Anne Francis, Ralph Freeman, Matthew Higgs, Lisa Holden, Sarah Jacobs, Emma Kay, Ron Kitaj, Andrew Lanyon, John Latham, Simon Morley, Simon Morris, Tom Phillips, Kate Scriviner, Ian Walton, Russell Webb, Ian Whittlesea, Sam Winston.

THE BOOK SHOW addresses the concept of the book as metaphor and/or object in recent British art. By metaphor we mean that this is an exhibition that is not primarily to be seen within the context of the ‘artist’s book’, but rather as one in which the book is treated as a resonant cultural artefact with a history, a range of references and allusions, and a raft of personal connotations. By object we mean that the book is also a thing which can be addressed formally and aesthetically. The two dimensions clearly overlap and the book as object is inseparable from the book as metaphor.

In a period that has been described as one of the ‘closure of the book’ and when new media are competing with and often superseding the traditional conventions associated with reading and writing it seems especially important to think about the book in these ways. THE BOOK SHOW aims to bring together the often separate constituencies of literature and visual art in order to generate an awareness of the hybrid nature of word and image interaction in contemporary culture. There is a fully illustrated catalogue.

THE BOOK SHOW coincides with the publication of Writing on the Wall: Word and Image in Modern Art (Thames & Hudson) by Simon Morley, and serves as an informal ‘appendix’ to its broad historical survey.

Exhibition Dates: Friday 10 October to Saturday 22 November 2003
Opening Times: Thursday to Saturday 1-5pm
Location: The Nunnery, 181-183, Bow Road, London E3 2SJ

T: 020 8983 9737 or 020 8980 7774

E: pjones@bowarts.com and info@bowarts.com

Background

THE BOOK SHOW includes a small selection of British artists who began in the 1960’s to explore the possibilities of the book as a part of their work. The younger artists range from the well-established to A recent graduate, and along the way THE BOOK SHOW takes in a wide range of media and styles from figurative painting depicting a writer’s studies to an on-line project.

The Nunnery and The Bow Arts Trust

The Nunnery is part of the Bow Arts Trust. The Bow Arts Trust occupies two buildings opposite the historic St Mary Atta le Bow Church. One site is an old factory built in 1818, and the other which houses The Nunnery gallery was converted from a disused Carmelite nunnery built around 1850. The Bow Arts Trust was established in 1995 as a cultural facility for the education and enjoyment of the artists and residents of Tower Hamlets and its adjoining boroughs, and to national and international audiences. The Trust has established and manages; The Nunnery gallery, over 100 affordable artists' studios, and runs a London-wide educational programme involving 1000’s of young people and adults each year.