A landmark exhibition featuring art by internationally known artists will open at York Art Gallery this September as part of the first York Mediale.

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28 September 2018 – 25 November 2018

 

A landmark exhibition featuring art by internationally known artists will open at York Art Gallery this September as part of the first York Mediale.

Strata – Rock – Dust – Stars, which showcases ground-breaking moving image, new media and interactive artwork, is inspired by William Smith’s geological map of 1815, which was key in the development of Geology as a science and transformed the way in which we understand the world.

The exhibition will be the most ambitious and large scale media art exhibition York has ever hosted.

Curated by Mike Stubbs, Director of FACT, Liverpool, in partnership with York Museums Trust and York Mediale, the exhibition features works by artists Isaac Julien, Agnes Meyer Brandis, Semiconductor, Phil Coy, Liz Orton, David Jacques and Ryoichi Kurokawa.

It examines not only geological strata, but also explores a timely and contemporary poetic layering of human curiosity, exploration and reflection on the universe.
Mike said:

“William Smith’s work laid the foundation for the making of great fortunes in everything from oil and iron, to diamonds and platinum and was key to the development of Geology: one of the great fields of modern science. This exhibition explores how our understanding of stratum has shaped our relationship with the environment: revealing not only the makeup of mineral formation, compression and change, but also a wider layering of human curiosity, exploration and reflection.”

Jennifer Alexander, curator of fine art for York Art Gallery, said: “Two centuries after William Smith’s map was published, his legacy remains – directly and indirectly – through the latest digital technology and ideas which are incorporated in the artworks in this exhibition. This is a fascinating concept and we are extremely excited to bring these fascinating and thought-provoking works to our audiences in York for the first time to coincide with the launch of York Mediale.”

• The exhibition will be shown in the Madsen galleries and admission is included in the entry price to York Art Gallery.

• A list of works and brief biography of the works included are below.

• The exhibition is part of York’s first Mediale, a citywide digital arts festival for the UK’s only UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts. For more information go to: https://www.yorkmediale.com/