Blackpool’s art gallery, the Grundy, is organizing a unique exhibition for the fall based on neon as an artistic medium. This will be the largest gathering of art made from the medium ever shown in the UK and will include pieces by world-renowned artists such as Joseph Kosuth, Tracey Emin, and Gavin Turk.
Tracey Emin, I know I know I know (2002). Courtesy of the artist. All rights reserved, DACS 2016.
The exhibition will include a range of neon works varying in historical periods, geographic origins, and aesthetics. The Grundy Art Gallery will light up with works ranging from the earliest practitioners until present day, exploring the unique evolution of neon as an artistic medium.
The exhibition will coincide with Blackpool’s “Illuminations”, which take place from September 2- November 6, 2016, and will feature the century-old tradition of a six-mile long lighting display along the city’s promenade.
Noteworthy pieces in the show include works from two French artists, François Morellet, and Bertrand Lavier, whose work date to the 1960s and who are considered some the earliest practitioners of the medium for artistic purposes.
François Morellet, Lamentable Ø 5m blanc (2005). Courtesy of Annely Juda Fine Art, London.
The gallery will also commission some outdoor works by artists such as Tim Etchells, Graham Fagen, and Prem Sahib. Such commissions allow the exhibition to break the confines of the gallery space and incorporate the streets of the seaside town as part of the exhibition space.
See more images of pieces that will be included in the exhibition below:
Prem Sahib, BUMP (2013). Courtesy of the artist and Southard Reid, London.
Gavin Turk, One Twenty Five (2013). Courtesy of the artist.
Bertrand Lavier, Telluride (2005). Courtesy of the artist and Kewenig, Berlin.
Prem Sahib, Phoenix (2015). Courtesy of the artist and Southard Reid, London. Photography Mark Blower.
“NEON: The Charged Line” will be on view at Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, UK from September 1, 2016- January 7, 2017.