International Open Show 2012

8th - 25th August

Private View: Tuesday 7th August, 6-8pm

The International Open Show 2012 is Surface Gallery’s annual open submissions exhibition. Now heading into its tenth year, the Open Show presents the huge diversity of practice in contemporary art, and provides a platform for emerging and established artists working in a wide range of media.

The works in this year’s exhibition were selected from a vast number of entries from artists all over the world, and were chosen for their original and thought provoking qualities. The nature of the Open Show means that very different and sometimes opposing areas of contemporary practice are brought together in a gallery environment, generating an unusual narrative between the works and their audience.

On the evening of the private view one artist will be selected as the 2012 International Open Show winner, and presented with the prize of a solo exhibition at Surface Gallery in 2013. This is a big opportunity for the winning artist, allowing them to challenge and develop their practice outside of the group show context, and is also an important part of Surface Gallery’s work to support the development of emerging national and international artists.

 2012 selected artists are: Jesse Morgan Barnett, Juliana Carey, Suzan Charlton, Aylwin Greenwood-Lambert, Listen04, David McLeavy, Alec Moors, Teresa Paiva, James Parkinson, Lisa Selby, Vishwa Shroff, Matthew Smith, Denise Stanton, Alex Widdowson

Want to chill with the Surface team? Become a volunteer with us.

Surface Gallery is run as a co-operative by a team of dedicated volunteers.

Volunteers at Surface Gallery take a proactive role in running the gallery, devising and delivering the exhibition programme, raising the profile of the gallery and working to develop the gallery as a significant resource. The organisation is keen to provide hands on experience for people wanting to work in the arts. All volunteers help invigilate the gallery’s exhibitions and assist with the day to day running and administration of the organisation. 

If you are interested in any volunteering opportunities download an application form and return it to the Gallery. You will be contacted to say that we have received your application form. You will then be invited to an interview to hear more about the Gallery and to assess whether volunteering is suitable for you.

For more information on the specific roles we are recruiting please visit our volunteering page Here.

Support us at Waitrose: Trinity square.

Surface Gallery are currently one of three community groups competing for a Community Matters award in the Trinity Square Waitrose. Each month every Waitrose branch donates £1,000 (£500 in Convenience shops) between three local good causes. Customers are given a green token which they can use to vote for the cause of their choice (see here for more information: http://www.waitrose.com/home/inspiration/community_matters.html)

Please vote for us! If we win, the award will go to our Community Engagement team to help them extend the work they do with schools and the local community.

Fallacies of Compositions: Open Show 2011 Winner's Exhibition.

We are pleased to present the solo exhibition of our 2011 Open Show winner Ting-Tong Chang, “Fallacies of Compositions”. The exhibition will open on Wednesday 4th July 2012 from 6-8pm, with a special private view where food and refreshments will be available. We welcome all to join us for this event, which will be an opportunity to meet the artist and preview the exhibition.
Ting-Tong, Chang, born in 1982, recently graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a MFA in Fine Art. His artistic practice covers both street art and elements of traditional painting and sculpture with a strong interest in urban space and exploration of potential dialogue between institution and individuals. Originally from Taiwan, Ting-Tong lives and works in London, he has organised numerous artistic interventions and events in the streets of various cities across the world. His installations marked with brevity and absurd objects get to the core of contemporary problems: globalisation stimulated by the developments in technology, blurred boundaries between nations, or the omniscient fear of terrorism which we have already become accustomed to. Freely and with a wicked dose a black humour, he toys with such concepts as death, war, or mass destruction, which are ingrained in today’s world. Ting-Tong has exhibited and received a number of awards internationally, including London, Berlin, Warsaw, Miami, Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei.

“Fallacies of Compositions” will be running at Surface Gallery until 21st July.