They came, they saw, they queued.
Lines of people waiting to get in are not a rare sight on a Brixton Friday night, but those outside Block 336 on Brixton Road last night were a little different.
They were waiting for the private view of a major national art exhibition that has chosen to visit Brixton his year and opens today (27 January).
Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2017 shows 92 works by 47 undergraduate and postgraduate artists selected from 1,500 applications.
New Contemporaries is the UK’s leading organisation promoting and supporting the most talented artists emerging from national fine art courses.
Its annual New Contemporaries touring exhibition and programme of linked events provide a snapshot of the most exciting art from national and international fine art graduates.
Before coming to Brixton, New Contemporaries was launched at Gateshead’s BALTIC.
Block 336
Block 336 is an artist-run project space and studio provider that aims to promote engagement with and critical discussion of contemporary art.
The organisation is committed to providing a platform for artists that offers them the freedom to experiment and test new ideas. It provides opportunities for ambitious projects, providing a sympathetic and supportive environment for the development of new work.
Block 336 is committed to widening participation from individuals and groups who may not typically access contemporary art. It also aims to advance education in the arts with a particular emphasis on people with disabilities.
New Contemporaries
Since 1949 New Contemporaries has been recognised as a barometer of work emerging from the UK. Its alumni include significant post-war figures like Frank Auerbach and Paula Rego; pop artists Patrick Caulfield and David Hockney; decade-defining “Young British Artists” Damien Hirst and Gillian Wearing; as well as other significant contemporary figures like Chris Ofili, Anish Kapoor, Tacita Dean, Mark Lecky, Mona Hatoum, Mike Nelson, Isaac Julien and Rebecca Warren.
More recently, emerging influential artists Ed Atkins, Becky Beasley, Phil Collins, Rachel Maclean, Nathaniel Mellors, Haroon Mirza and Laure Prouvost have also been selected.
Two Brixton-based artists, Declan Colquitt and Amanda Moström, are among the exhibitors at Block 336. Read our report on their work.
The exhibition at Block 336 runs until 3 March.
