With significant funding from Arts Council England, HOUSE 2012 promises to be the most ambitious visual arts festival in Brighton to date. Working in and beyond the gallery walls, HOUSE 2012 presents a carefully curated exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist David Batchelor’s work, alongside 5 other major new commissions.
These projects will see artists make interventions on the streets of Brighton over the month of May, exploring themes of domesticity, the urban and everyday, and bringing attention to the overlooked and ordinary. Artwork will be positioned in an array of locations – in Phoenix Gallery, domestic spaces, artist studios and unexpected locations across Brighton & Hove.
Since HOUSE festival began in 2009, this curated and programmed festival – originally partner to Artists Open Houses – has established itself as a trailblazing annual event. Taking place across sites within the city, an interest in the threshold between private and public space is inherent to the character of HOUSE.
Sally Abbott, Regional Director, Arts Council England, South East, which is supporting HOUSE 2012 with more than £90,000 in funding, said that ‘HOUSE 2012 will resonate for many people’: ‘the theme of domesticity provokes us to think afresh about the everyday and commonplace; and the sitting of commissioned work in the streets and public spaces will reach new audiences both within and beyond the gallery walls.’ And, she added, ‘This year’s programme, with its association with renowned British artist David Batchelor, represents a significant leap for the organisation and for the visual arts in Brighton.’
Internationally and critically acclaimed British artist David Batchelor is lead artist for HOUSE 2012 and will exhibit his largest presentation of artwork in this country to date, with several new commissions, including a major new co-commission in conjunction with Brighton Festival. For HOUSE 2012 he promises to draw connections between Sicilian street festival decoration and the vernacular of Brighton’s infamous Regency architecture.
Other artists who will presenting work will be Tim Brown & Anna Deamer, Robin Blackledge, Deb Bowness, Helene Kazan, and Caroline Le Breton.
Follow ArtLyst on Twitter for breaking art news and latest exhibition reviews