About the exhibition
I co-organised the inaugural Bristol Contemporary Open with Deborah Harrison, and a small group of highly committed Bristol artists, back in 2008.
The idea was to put on a major exhibition of 24 up and coming South West artists, selected by a noteworthy jury, at the Paintworks here in Bristol.
We deviated a little from the norm, by selecting the artists for the show from an open submission, but then invited the selected group to create and install whatever work they wanted to at the venue, if it was at all possible to do so, within the constraints of the space and time available. It’s more usual for juried shows to select specific pieces of work, as opposed to particular artists, to create an exhibition.
The result was a dynamic mix of sculpture and wall works, which was incredibly well received. It would be lovely to kick start the show again sometime soon, time allowing, as a decade has passed, and still Bristol seems to lack an authoritative annual contemporary open.
If you’d like to read more about the exhibition, there’s a PDF catalogue of all the artists involved, and their work, online here.
Work in situ
BCO flyer
BCO Press release
Bristol Contemporary Open is an artist-led initiative and annual exhibition, showcasing emerging contemporary artists from the Bristol and South West region. The exhibition has been organised and curated by practicing artists to promote the work of some of the region’s foremost emerging artists.
The aim is to ‘fill the gap’ not addressed by our white cube artspaces and modern galleries by presenting new artists to new audiences, and introducing local communities to the latest ideas in the visual arts.
BCO presents 24 of the region’s brightest rising stars. In contrast to conventional exhibitions, the artists will be showing their own selections of their newest work, presenting both their latest ideas and techniques, emanating from their studios and workshops.
The exhibition features a range of painting, drawing, sculpture, print and photography. This innovative show was originally conceived in 2007 after the successful ‘Revelation’ exhibition at Paintworks.
The exhibition reflects the current interests of contemporary artists working in the region, with artworks that explore themes of relationship, environment, threat and fantasy.
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A Visual Arts Exhibition at Paintworks / Bristol
Chuck’s art is an homage to the power of the computer. Using the wonders of CGI, his canvas is the computer and a total nod to the magic of the machine. Engaging, hypnotic and unmistakably modern, images swirl and colours collide in a beautiful series of arrangements that confound the brain and pulse.
Futuristic and sense pounding, Chuck’s initial wandering into this particular strain of the art world has its origins firmly rooted in the computer, as he explains:
“One night in 1984 a friend and I made an illicit late night visit to a software development company in Bath. She was working there and had seen the future; the first Apple computer to be imported into the UK. We were blown away. Sitting on a huge desk was a small beige box that allowed you to draw a black line on a white screen, using a device called a mouse. I was sold...”
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Link here to read the full interview ⟶
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In conversation with Jake Applebee and Tom Frost of Crack magazine, ahead of the now influential magazine's first issue, published in 2009
Link to associated works
