UK’s largest touring exhibition BAS9 opens at Wolverhampton

British Art Show 9 (BAS9), Hayward Gallery Touring’s landmark exhibition, is currently in the second leg of its touring itinerary. Following its unique showcase at Aberdeen Art Gallery from 10th July 2021 to 10th October 2021, the exhibition is now running at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art. The BAS9 opened in Wolverhampton on 22nd January 2022 and will remain on display until 10th April 2022. “We are thrilled to present the second iteration of BAS9 in Wolverhampton, where we focus on an intersectional approach to living with difference,” share Irene Aristizábal and Hammad Nasar, curators of British Art Show 9.

British Art Show 9 is a touring art exhibition that takes place every 5 years and showcases contemporary artworks by prominent and upcoming creatives. First held in 1979, the unique exhibition is now in its ninth edition under the tutelage of Hayward Gallery Touring. “We are delighted to be working with Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art on British Art Show 9. The collections and histories of these two iconic institutions provides an important context for BAS9,” says Brian Cass, senior curator of Hayward gallery Touring. Following Wolverhampton, the BAS9 will present at various locations in Manchester and Plymouth.

Curated by Irene Aristizábal and Hammad Nasar, the ongoing edition explores the themes of healing, care, reparative history and tactics for togetherness, alongwith imagining a new and better future. “Our approach foregrounds the contemporary resonance of the Black Lives Matter protests with the historic context of Enoch Powell’s infamous and divisive ‘rivers of blood’ speech (1968), made during his tenure as Wolverhampton South West’s Conservative MP,” share the curators of the exhibition.

With the intent to host 47 contemporary artists across four locations in the UK, the touring exhibition adapts and changes its showcases to fit in with the local contexts of each of these cities. A running subject that is common for most artists showcasing at BAS9 is the investigation of the multiple identities that exist at the junction of class, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. The Wolverhampton leg of the exhibition explores these ideas against the rich cultural history of the city that has been shaped by diverse populations that migrated to the city to work in manufacturing industries post-war.

The spaces of the Wolverhampton Art Gallery house a significant art collection linked to the British Black Arts movement as well as a section dedicated to ‘The Troubles’ of Northern Ireland. The art works and films curated to be showcased in these spaces succeed in establishing expanded connections with both the art collections housed within the gallery and the viewers that come to witness the showcases.

The works curated for the exhibition aim to serve as a mirror to the precarious state of Britain at the moment. From heralding conversations on the politics of identity and nation to questioning the public consciousness on social, racial and environmental justice, the 34 artists are all set to liven up the gallery and the university for all 80 days of the exhibition. The exhibition will also serve as the launching station for a publication by Hayward Gallery Publishing. The book will include two curatorial essays, more than 200 illustrations and brief descriptions on the works of all 47 artists that are showcasing at BAS9.

The display includes several interesting and distinct showcases by a variety of artists. British-Jamaican artist Hurvin Anderson will showcase his barbershop series, which includes a new painting called ‘Dixie Peach, 2020’, while Helen Cammock is set to exhibit both her ‘Changing Room II’ installation and the ‘Changing Room’ film, which are elegies to her late father, who was a resident of Wolverhampton during the 1960s and 70s. Oona Doherty’s ‘Hope Hunt & The Ascension into Lazarus’ serves as a critical commentary on the state of the European society where young male suicides is extremely high, whereas Mandy El-Sayegh’s installation ‘blank verse blanket man’ is a balanced blend of her paintings and a mesmerising soundtrack that suffuses its environment with a sensory overload.

Other highlights from the Wolverhampton show include Mark Essen’s ‘School of the Underkraft’ and GAIKA’s new audio-visual installation, ZEMEL. With this lineup of distinct voices that present unique pieces of creation, the British Art Show 9 ceases to remain an exhibition alone. Instead, it rewrites itself as an experience.

The Wolverhampton leg of the British Art Show 9 will remain on display from 22nd January 2022 to 10th April 2022 at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art in Wolverhampton in England.