Creative Scotland withdraws 'sex project' funding

14 Mar 2024

Creative Scotland has withdrawn funding for a project featuring participants engaging in "non-simulated" sex and "hardcore" acts.

The funding body had previously agreed to award £85,000 for the development of the Rein project, a 45-minute film by director Leonie Rae Gasson that was initially presented as “an exploration of dyke sexuality”.

But concerns were raised after the project's website advertised for people to take part in "non-simulated" sex, including "hardcore" acts for a fee of £270 per day.

A statement issued by Creative Scotland today (14 March) said the latest phase of the project "represents a breach of the conditions of funding award, as the nature of the project has changed". 

"The central role that ‘non-simulated’ (i.e real) sex acts now play in the project, marks a significant change to the nature of the work presented in the original application which was assessed for funding," the statement said. 

"Following a review of the application, assessment, and contractual agreement regarding the project Rein, Creative Scotland has made the decision to withdraw support for this project and will be seeking recovery of funding paid in respect of this award to date."

Earlier this week Scotland's Culture Secretary Angus Robertson told the Scottish parliament that Rein should not have received public money and that he “shared the concerns that have been raised”.

Council rent subsidy saves Bath arts charity from closure

14 Mar 2024

A charity providing affordable artist workshop space in Bath has been saved from closure thanks to a local council rent subsidy.

44AD, which is based in premises on the city’s Abbey Street, has agreed a three-year lease extension for £10,000 per year, well below what Bath & North East Somerset Council believes is the market value of £40,000 per annum.

The decision is part of the council’s plan to establish the city’s nearby Milsom Quarter as a fashion, art and design destination. 

Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “Thriving creative arts charities like 44AD have many social and economic benefits and enable more people in our communities to access the arts.

“Making sure established art spaces such as this one can keep providing affordable, creative workspaces for start-ups and small businesses is key to positioning this area of Bath as a leading arts and fashion destination.”

He added that the council’s support “will also help the charity stay financially resilient by allowing it to access grant funding”.

Katie O’Brien, 44AD Project Director, said: “To have security of tenure will enable us to access funding streams, plan ahead and develop more arts projects which champion the creative expression and ideas of young people, students, graduates, local artists, along with our many visitors.”

Tate Britain seeks to contextualise 'offensive' mural

13 Mar 2024

Tate Britain has unveiled a new video work made in response to a 1927 mural that has been closed to the public since 2020 due to its offensive imagery.

‘Vive Voce’, a two-screen 20-minute video by Keith Piper, is installed next to the Rex Whistler painting, ‘The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats’, in what was formerly the London gallery’s restaurant.

The film depicts an academic challenging Whistler about the mural, which includes offensive depictions of black slaves on a leash and caricatures of Chinese people.

Tate said the film explores "the social and political context of 1920s Britain”. It includes archive footage of black soldiers in World War One and the ‘Races in Residence’ pavilion at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition.

Piper said he wanted "to give a sense of how and why the mural exists” and defended Tate Britain’s decision to keep the work rather than remove it.

He said: "I know there is an argument among young people now that these images re-traumatise, but I think we either look or forget.

"We are very good at forgetting nowadays and things that are out of sight go out of mind. To keep a clear sense of history we need to see these things.”

Collectors remove art from Barbican over 'censorship and repression'

07 Mar 2024

Two collectors have revoked loans of artworks on display at a Barbican exhibition after the institute backed out of hosting a talk in early February by the writer Pankaj Mishra entitled 'The Shoah after Gaza', accusing the institution of "censorship and repression".

In a statement to The Guardian, the Barbican said its decision to withdraw the talk, hosted in partnership with the London Review of Books (LRB) winter lecture series, was made in response to the LRB “prematurely” publicising the lecture and its title.

A description of the talk posed the question: “What is the fate of universal values after Israel’s collapse into violent nationalism?” The Barbican said its senior team did not have time to "do the careful preparation needed for this sensitive content”. 

Following the decision, two quilts by Loretta Pettway that were being exhibited at the Barbican were removed at the request of the owners Lorenzo Legarda Leviste and his husband, Fahad Mayet.

A sign on the plinth where the works were on display says: “These two works have been withdrawn at the request of the lenders, as an act of solidarity with Palestine, in response to the Barbican’s decision to not host the London Review of Books (LRB) Winter Lecture Series.” 

Leviste contacted the exhibition curators with concerns over the Barbican’s cancellation of Mishra's talk. In his email correspondence with the curators, which he has published in full online, he accuses the Barbican of enforcing “censorship and repression,” from which “fascism emerges and our freedoms are eroded.”

The curators responded by saying they are “against anti-Palestinian racism and all kinds of racism, and are deeply horrified at the brutal genocide of Palestinians in Gaza”, adding that there was "no intention to censor the speaker involved" and an "agreement was reached with the LRB that they would use an alternative venue".

They added that holding the talk would have been contrary to the Barbican's policy of "properly considering" how to address sensitive topics.

In a statement to The Art Newspaper, Leviste said the Barbican was "refusing to engage with the serious and urgent questions that we’ve posed about how internal decisions are made and who makes them".

"These are answers that the public is owed, particularly given the systemic recurrence of repressive and racist incidents at the Barbican.”

Last June, the Barbican was accused of censorship when it asked a Palestinian speaker to avoid discussing Palestine at length during an event. The organisation later apologised, describing the decision as “a serious error of judgment”, for which it was “deeply sorry”. It has since hosted the London Palestine Film Festival, in November.

We need a global standard to protect artists’ rights

Image of artwork in two panels
06 Feb 2024

The results of a recent survey on AI and artists’ work reveal serious anxieties. Artist Adelaide Damoah calls on government to act to safeguard artists’ rights.

UK visual artists earn £10m in royalties during 2023

29 Jan 2024

Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) has announced that it distributed £10.1m in Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) royalties in 2023.

The sum was split between 1,893 visual artists and estates, 228 of which were first-time payments to artists whose works had only recently begun selling above the threshold value of  €1,000 on the secondary market.

ARR was introduced into UK law in 2006. Since then, DACS has paid a total of over £125m in resale royalties, benefiting 6,121 artists and estates. 

Christian Zimmermann, DACS Chief Executive, said: “These monies recognise both artists' and estates' contributions to our society and the economy, with an art market worth £9.5bn and our creative industries contributing £116bn to UK GDP.

“Royalties go beyond financial transactions - they are essential catalysts for reinvestment, empowering artists to create and estates to preserve the artist's enduring legacy."
 

Hibiscus Rising: The power of public art

Hibiscus Rising sculpture against a blue sky
28 Nov 2023

From public sculptures to powerful performances, new commissions have a unique ability to connect with audiences – which is why Art Fund is keen to support them, explains Robert Dingle.  

Arnolfini closes amid Palestine Film Festival protests

27 Nov 2023

An arts centre that withdrew from hosting two events as part of the Bristol Palestine Film Festival closed its doors to the public this weekend following a protest organised by activist group Rise Up For Palestine.

The group held a sit-in in Arnolfini's bookshop and foyer on Friday (24 November) and had publicised plans for a second demonstration on Sunday.

Arnolfini posted on Instagram that it would not open over the weekend "to take care of the team".

The gallery has faced criticism since it announced that it had made the “difficult decision” not to host a previously scheduled film screen screening followed by a panel discussion and a live poetry night.

More than 2,200 people have signed an open letter opposing the gallery’s decision, noting that it hosted a film screening and panel discussion last year as part of the festival.

In its statement, Arnolfini cited the “difficulty for arts charities hosting events that might be construed as political activity”. The gallery said that because the events included film, performance, and discussion panels, it "could not be confident that the event would not stray into political activity.”

“The current tensions ... mean it is more likely events might be construed as political activity; it is beyond our available resources to adequately risk-assess [such] events at this current time.”

How much is a painting worth?

Two curators installing Going to the Match
27 Nov 2023

One year after the purchase of Lowry's Going to the Match, that's a question Julia Fawcett has been pondering - and not just in monetary terms.

UK art market supports over 50,000 jobs and businesses

22 Nov 2023

The UK art market directly supported 45,520 jobs and 7,800 businesses in 2023, the latest annual report from the British Art Market Federation has revealed.
 
Figures in the report estimate that the fiscal contribution made by the UK art market was nearly £1.6bn in 2022. It also suggests that last year, the sector spent an estimated £2.6bn on specialised services and products supporting a further 37,900 jobs in the UK.

Globally, the report indicated that the UK art market retained its position as the second largest international hub for trading art, behind the USA, with aggregate sales in 2022 of £9.7bn. However, market share has declined from 21% in 2016 to 18% in 2022, well below a high point of 34% in 2008.

The report cites the pandemic and the disruption to UK/EU trade generated by Brexit as causing the "deterioration" in the UK’s global position.

Warning that the UK risks "losing the battle to attract worldwide sales at the highest level of values" because of a decline in cross-border trade, the report determined that “London’s significance as an art market hub is not built on sourcing business locally but on the flow of works of art in and out of London", adding “there is strong empirical evidence that imports of art and antiques are highly correlated with the growth of the art market.”

Art Fund initiative studies impact of art on the brain

08 Nov 2023

An initiative developed by Art Fund is visualising the impact art displayed in museums and galleries has on people’s brains.

The experiment will see headsets that show how art affects brainwaves toured across museums and galleries in the UK. The devices have already been used at London’s Courtauld Gallery.

The headsets are connected to an electroencephalogram (EEG) monitor, which allows people’s brainwaves to be visualised on screens in 3D and in real time.

Art Fund Director Jenny Waldman told Sky News the experiment is the charity’s latest initiative to encourage visitors to return to museums and galleries.

"This is a way of just showing us exactly what happens in our brains and how exciting it is to actually be back in a museum context, back in a gallery, seeing real art, having that experience."

"What we're trying to do with this experiment is show how fantastic the museum experience is and encourage people back."

Does AI image generation infringe artists' copyright?

06 Nov 2023

Artists are increasingly concerned that generative AI is stealing their copyright. Lawyers Patrick Wheeler and Zoë Deckker consider whether existing law provides creators adequate protection against the rise of AI-generated artworks.

Arts charity for vulnerable people to close

01 Nov 2023

An arts charity which helps children and vulnerable people has announced that it will close due to financial pressures and falling volunteer numbers.

The Bridge Centre for Visual Arts (The Bridge) in Darlington said it will close permanently on 31 March 2024.

"The last few years have been challenging ones, as they have been for many charities," a statement issued by the charity said.

"Even with financial support from various grants provided, the current income falls well short of the core costs of operating The Bridge. As a registered charity, the Trustees would be irresponsible to knowingly let the charity run into bankruptcy."

The statement added that a "rapidly dwindling" number of volunteers able to give the time and effort needed to keep The Bridge in operation was also a consideration in the decision. 

"The few remaining were finding it an increasing burden and, for a variety of understandable reasons, are unable to increase that personal support," it said.

Henry Moore Institute to close for major renovation

30 Oct 2023

The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds will close next month for renovation works expected to last until next summer.

The refurbishment will include a new dedicated public engagement workshop, an improved welcome area and Research Library entrance, refreshed activity space and new toilets and baby changing facilities.

Meanwhile, solar panels will be installed on the roof.

Laurence Sillars, Head of the Henry Moore Institute, said: "These alterations will bring a significant step-change to how, and where, our programmes are experienced, retaining our world-renowned research facilities while ensuring that young people — our potential great creative thinkers of the future — feel at home. 

"We’re looking forward to reopening our doors next summer with revitalised spaces that better serve our visitors and the vibrant communities of Leeds and beyond.”

The institute will close to the public from 27 November.

Plans for Eastbourne arts centre revealed

24 Oct 2023

Proposals for a new arts, education and cultural centre sited on a 19th Century dairy farm in the South Downs have been announced. 

The project, called Black Robin Farm, is part of a partnership between the contemporary art gallery Towner Eastbourne and Eastbourne Borough Council, with a design by architects Feilden Fowles recently submitted for planning approval.

The submission follows Eastbourne Borough Council's successful £19.8m funding bid to the government's Levelling Up Fund. It is hoped that Black Robin Farm will draw 100,000 visitors annually within five years, helping to boost Eastbourne’s economy. 

Working with East Sussex College Group, Towner Eastbourne will use the site to offer qualifications and skills training for young adults to support career development in the creative, leisure and tourism sectors. It also plans to provide artist opportunities through commissions, residencies, showcasing and workspace.

If planning permission is granted, the next steps for the project will be working with stakeholders and communities over the next four years. 

Joe Hill, CEO and Director of Towner Eastbourne said: ”Our ambition is to ensure genuinely inclusive access to art and culture through artist commissions and other professional development opportunities, skills development initiatives and creative engagement programmes for children and adults, especially those from Eastbourne's most disadvantaged communities.

“Our vision is to change lives through high-quality creative and cultural experiences that raise aspirations, change career directions and improve life outcomes."
 

Scottish artists making a better world

Artists preparing banners for their campaign
17 Oct 2023

Artist activists in Scotland are arming themselves - with squeegees - in a battle to change the hearts and minds of their politicians, as Moira Jeffrey reports.

NFTs have led to widespread copyright infringements

11 Oct 2023

The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee has urged government to work with non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces to address the scale of copyright infringement in the art world.

In the committee’s latest report, NFTs and the Blockchain: the risks to sport and culture, published today (11 October), the cross-party group of MPs note that, while NFT sales may have peaked last year, their emergence has led to the risk of widespread copyright infringement.

The report explains creators' rights have been infringed in cases where work has been made available as an NFT without permission. 

The process of having copied work taken down has proved time consuming and difficult for artists, compared with the ease with which NFTs can be minted.

In the report, the committee recommends government engages with NFT marketplaces to address the scale of infringement and enable copyright holders to enforce their rights.

It says government should work to introduce a code of conduct for online marketplaces operating in the UK - including NFT marketplaces - that protects creators, consumers and sellers.

CMS Committee Chair Caroline Dinenage said: “Traditional regulatory regimes have failed to protect both creatives and consumers caught up in the volatile new crypto world.

“Artists are at risk of seeing the fruits of their hard work pinched and promoted without permission while fraudulent and misleading adverts add an extra layer of jeopardy for investors involved in what is already an inherently risky business,” she explained.

“The government must make sure that everyone in the crypto chain is working to properly protect consumers and the rights of creators.”

The committee’s report also highlights NFTs and blockchains as having unique potential applications in arts and culture, such as encouraging artists to develop digital skills or creating new markets for artworks.

Immersive art gallery to open in Bristol

09 Oct 2023

Bristol-based media centre Watershed is set to open an immersive art gallery next spring.

Undershed, which will be located downstairs at the Watershed’s current location on Bristol harbourside, will feature a year-round programme of immersive work.

Funding for the gallery, which will exhibit a range of mediums including film, projections, mixed reality, VR, audio and music, has come from Arts and Humanities Research Council.

“We think that brilliant immersive work is too often limited to being shown only at festivals, or exhibited with an emphasis on the technology, rather than the quality, meaning and relevance of the work,” Clare Reddington, Watershed CEO, said. 

“There is a huge body of brilliant work that rarely finds a public audience in Bristol or beyond.”

Reddington added Watershed will work with diverse creatives and audiences and use new technologies to “inspire, delight and critique the world we live in and the role that technology plays in it”.

“We will curate and host internationally leading work from across the world, as well as show emerging work from our own community – hopefully building a network of venues to co-programme, share work and develop sustainable practice with.”

Leeds art gallery to leave historic venue

02 Oct 2023

An art gallery established in the former headquarters of Tetley's brewery in Leeds a decade ago is moving to a new venue, it has been announced.

The BBC reports that the charity that operates The Tetley gallery, Project Space Leeds, is vacating the site because the lease is coming to an end.

It has said it will "announce plans for a new home soon".

The gallery, which includes a restaurant and cultural space, will close to the public on 17 December.

The former brewery, which closed in 2011 after 189 years, under went a £1.5m conversion before opening as The Tetley gallery.

Dundee arts centre facing closure

11 Sep 2023

A contemporary art venue in Scotland has warned politicians that it is facing “unimaginable financial precarity” and will soon face closure without changes to its public funding, according to a report in The Scotsman.

In a new report to the Scottish Parliament, MEPs have been told that Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) is facing a £300,000 deficit for 2024 and an uncertain future.

Founded 25 years ago, DCA houses two large-scale galleries, two cinema screens, a print studio and a cafe bar in its £9m city centre facility.

The centre's director, Beth Bate, told The Scotsman that rising costs, stagnant funding and reduced audiences had left the registered charity “wrung dry,” and it would be forced to tap into its £450,000 reserves to "keep our doors open and staff employed”.

She said, “We’re so prudent. We’ve made efficiencies everywhere, including restructuring teams, losing hours and posts, restricting hours, delivering work with external partners, investing in fundraising, and setting high and hard income-generating targets.

“But we’re now at the point where we’re stripped back enough. Any more cuts will fundamentally change the organisation and the impact we have in Dundee, Scotland and internationally. We simply don’t have enough money.

“It’s hard to describe the exhaustion and frustration these working conditions induce. Staff retention, health and wellbeing, confidence and resilience are all affected, particularly as we start to see other organisations struggle and fold, and talented staff leave the sector.”

Bate said the only way to meet the deficit would be to cancel their exhibitions programme, children's film festival, and all learning and engagement projects. She added, "This would take us so far from our charitable aims and the function for which we’re funded, that we couldn’t operate.

“It is short-termism and stunting in the extreme, to have to work not knowing whether your successful, popular, efficiently-run organisation might not have a future.”

Pages

Subscribe to Visual arts