Neon art from some of the world’s leading artists is set to make up the Grundy Art Gallery’s latest exhibition.



Tracey Emin, one of the UK’s foremost artists, will join other notable artists from America and Europe as part of NEON: The Charged Line which will open on Thursday 1 September and run until 7 January 2017, to coincide with the Illuminations.

NEON: The Charged Line will take place as part of this year’s Lightpool festival, which is aimed at re-inventing the Illuminations display and providing more opportunities for cultural experiences in Blackpool town centre.

The Grundy’s neon exhibition will bringing together some of the most internationally renowned neon artworks from the 1960s to the present day and will be the most significant survey focusing solely on the medium of neon staged in the UK to date, a light source which has shone in the resort since the 1930s.

The exhibition will include key pieces by upwards of twenty five of the world's foremost artists working in this medium, featuring well known figures including Emin and Gavin Turk, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as ‘young British artists’ or yBa’s.

NEON: The Charged Line will see the municipal Edwardian galleries transformed into a series of eight rooms, each introducing work of different historical periods, geographic origins, and aesthetic interests. Emin, who is well known for her work with fabric, embroidery and installations including the notorious ‘My Bed’ which was displayed as part of the Turner Prize in 1999, has also established a reputation for her evocative and emotionally charged work in neon. The Grundy will be showing an important work by the artist from the early 2000s, one of the most prolific points of her career.

As well as works by notable British artists, the exhibition brings together some of the most important neon works made internationally from the past 60 years including Americans Joseph Kosuth and Robert Irwin, and two prominent French artists, Francois Morellet and Bertrand Lavier, who were amongst the earliest to experiment with neon in geometric and patterned forms. Morellet, who passed away in May this year, was a major figure in the world of French art but has been less widely seen in public galleries in the UK. His exhibition will be a rare opportunity to experience his poetic and much celebrated work.

Including over twenty-two artists, NEON: The Charged Line exhibits a broad range of different ways that artists have dealt with neon. Some, such as Emin or Kosuth, are more concerned with text and language others, including Eddie Peake, Mai-Thu Perret or David Batchelor, use neon as an extension of the drawn line, or for its three-dimensional or colourful qualities, often combining the neon with sculptural form.

Alongside established names, the Grundy will also be championing works by young artists from the North West and Blackpool, including Noel Clueit, who studied at Blackpool and Fylde College, and Joe Fletcher-Orr, based in Merseyside who has established an international reputation at the age of just twenty-five.

Cllr Vikki Singleton, Lead Member for Arts at Blackpool Council, said: "We’re delighted to be able to host this exhibition in Blackpool. It’s the largest exhibition of its kind that’s ever been staged in the UK and it’s been entirely put together by the team at the Grundy. It’s also a great draw for the gallery that we’re able to attract work from all these prestigious artists throughout the world, as well as supporting our own local artists.

“This year’s LightPool events are shaping up to be really exciting and the exhibition at the Grundy will be just another reason for people to visit Blackpool over the autumn.”

The title "The Charged Line" refers both to the scientific properties of this fluorescent gas medium but also its cultural history. The exhibition will coincide with Blackpool's famous Illuminations, a six-mile long lighting display which has taken place regularly along the promenade for over a century. The gallery will also be staging a parallel exhibition of early Art Deco neon designs from the early 1930s, when neon had only just arrived in the UK and was being pioneered in the seaside town.

The exhibition is a key part of ‘LightPool’, which includes projections on the tower and a new festival in October, and is funded by a substantial Coastal Communities Fund grant.

Coastal Communities Minister Andrew Percy said: “Artists have always been drawn to the Great British Coast and Blackpool is taking advantage by providing a range tourist opportunities enabling art, culture and businesses to thrive.

“The government is doing its bit by providing £2 million to launch the Lightpool project highlighting all the great tourist attractions the town has to offer.

“I’d urge people to head on down to the seaside to discover them.”

A full list of the participating artists consists of: David Batchelor, Martin Creed, Shezad Dawood, Tracey Emin, Tim Etchells, Cerith Wyn Evans, Robert Irwin, Graham Fagen, Joseph Kosuth, Bertrand Lavier, François Morellet, Joe Fletcher Orr, Eddie Peake, Mai-Thu Perret, Prem Sahib, Keith Sonnier, Evren Tekinoktay, Gavin Turk, Paulina Olowska, Fiona Banner.

Admission to the Grundy Art Gallery is free to all, however donations to keep the gallery running are kindly accepted.

Throughout the exhibition, the gallery will work on special opening hours, between 10am and 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. The gallery is closed on Mondays and will also close over the Christmas period from 24 December to 2 January.

For more details on this year’s LightPool, go to www.visitblackpool.com/lightpool. For more information on Blackpool Illuminations, visit www.visitblackpool.com/illuminations