Is Brexit a step back for regional arts? Carys Stallard considers the dependence of small centres on EU funding and the likelihood of new Government subsidies.
'Until recently, the London arts scene was perceived to be representative of British art culture as a whole. With the National Gallery and Tate Modern together attracting an estimated 10 million visitors each year, it is hardly surprising that many artists looked no further than London to exhibit their work.
Slowly but surely, however, the British artistic landscape has shifted to become less London-centric. Regional art galleries such as the Tate branches in St Ives and Liverpool, the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Newcastle have gained greater artistic status by celebrating their local artistic pasts and supporting up-and-coming artists.
Prominent British artists have supported the movement to expand British art out of the capital. In 2006, Antony Gormley, sculptor and former winner of the Turner Prize, placed his installation ‘Another Place’ in Crosby on the North-West coast. More recently, notorious street artist Banksy abandoned his usual urban setting and chose the town of Port Talbot, Wales, for his recent piece ‘Season’s Greetings’. This stunt radically changed the area’s local art scene, sparking the opening of a new art museum in Port Talbot. However, with the UK’s imminent departure from the EU, the British art scene looks set to return to London-centrism.' ... Keep reading on Palatinate
'Until recently, the London arts scene was perceived to be representative of British art culture as a whole. With the National Gallery and Tate Modern together attracting an estimated 10 million visitors each year, it is hardly surprising that many artists looked no further than London to exhibit their work.
Slowly but surely, however, the British artistic landscape has shifted to become less London-centric. Regional art galleries such as the Tate branches in St Ives and Liverpool, the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Newcastle have gained greater artistic status by celebrating their local artistic pasts and supporting up-and-coming artists.
Prominent British artists have supported the movement to expand British art out of the capital. In 2006, Antony Gormley, sculptor and former winner of the Turner Prize, placed his installation ‘Another Place’ in Crosby on the North-West coast. More recently, notorious street artist Banksy abandoned his usual urban setting and chose the town of Port Talbot, Wales, for his recent piece ‘Season’s Greetings’. This stunt radically changed the area’s local art scene, sparking the opening of a new art museum in Port Talbot. However, with the UK’s imminent departure from the EU, the British art scene looks set to return to London-centrism.' ... Keep reading on Palatinate