British Council Visual Arts

We’re looking to appoint a collaborative architectural practitioner team to develop and deliver an exhibition in the British Pavilion in Venice in 2025. The British Council Commission at the Venice Architecture Biennale aims to create debate that both challenges and influences the future of British and global architecture. The lead applicant must be UK-based, and the project team should include at least one collaborator that is Kenyan, Kenya-based or British-Kenyan. Deadline: Friday 5 January 2024, 23.59 (GMT). #Opportunity #Venice #Venice2025 #VeniceBiennale #BritishCouncil #Arts #ArtsOpportunity #ApplyNow #ArtWork

📢 Visual Arts Grants Announcement! We are offering grants of up to £10,000 for UK and international biennials/festivals to support visual artists’ participation. Visual arts organisations can also apply if they partner with a biennial/festival. Deadline for applications: Monday 23 October 2023, 11:59pm (BST). Visit us online to find out more and apply. Just head to our ‘Arts Opportunities’ link in @britisharts bio. Image: Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes, South London Gallery, 2023. Photo: Andy Stagg. #ArtsOpp #VisualArtsGrant #VisualArts

You can see here a few installation views of a work in the British Council Collection by Bedwyr Williams, along with others featured in The Isle of Thorns exhibition taking place this month, @galeria.e.bregdetit , Albania, curated by Elian Stefa. The exhibition presents artwork by Louis Henderson, Ethem Qerimi, Uriel Orlow, Charlotte Prodger, Ben Rivers, Driton Selmani, Abi Shehu, Bedwyr Williams, Driant Zeneli and Anna Ehrenstein with Saliou Ba, Donkafele, Nyamwathi Gichau, Lydia Likibi and Awa Seck. The Isle of Thorns is part of FUTURE ECOLOGIES, a programme from WE ARE HERE: Artists’ Moving Image from the British Council Collection and LUX, developed by Tendai John Mutambu (@tendaijmutambu ) British Council and LUX (@luxmovingimage ). In the Western Balkans, FUTURE ECOLOGIES is presented through a programme of exhibitions, screenings and public events, curated by curators from the region. #WeAreHereArtistMovingImage Image credits: Installation view of Bedwyr Williams – ‘The Starry Messenger’, 2013, from THE ISLE OF THORNS (part of Future Ecologies – WE ARE HERE). Curated by Elian Stefa for GALERiA e BREGDETIT. Photo by Giulia Dajci, courtesy of GALERiA e BREGDETiT. Courtesy the artist and British Council Collection.   Installation view of Driant Zeneli, When Dreams Become Necessity, 2009-2014, from THE ISLE OF THORNS (part of Future Ecologies – WE ARE HERE). Curated by Elian Stefa for GALERiA e BREGDETIT. Photo by Giulia Dajci, courtesy of GALERiA e BREGDETiT.   Installation view of Uriel Orlow, Muthi, 2016, from THE ISLE OF THORNS (part of Future Ecologies – WE ARE HERE ). Curated by Elian Stefa for GALERiA e BREGDETIT. Photo by Giulia Dajci, courtesy of GALERiA e BREGDETiT. Courtesy the artist and LUX.   Installation view of THE ISLE OF THORNS (part of Future Ecologies – WE ARE HERE). Curated by Elian Stefa for GALERiA e BREGDETIT. Photo by Giulia Dajci, courtesy of GALERiA e BREGDETiT.

All this week, the Toxic Lands programme is taking place in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of the Neretva River. The programme includes readings from environmental texts led by the Alternative Library Mostar, a performance of electro-acoustic music by Manja Ristić, Belme Zvizdić, Ronalda Panze, Harisa Sahačić and Hrvoje Cokarić, and screenings of artist film works by artists Uriel Orlow, Louis Henderson, Ben Rivers and Charlotte Prodger. Here are a few images from recent events. Toxic Lands (@toxic_lands ) takes, as a source of exploration, the toxic narratives and destructive practices of the landscape system of the Neretva River and the city of Mostar. Author and curator of the program Toxic Lands is Armina Pilav (@arminaplv ). The programme is produced in collaboration with Damir Ugljen, Un-war Space Lab collective, Association for Culture and Art Crvena from Sarajevo (@crvena_sarajevo ) and Abraš Radio (@abrasradio ) from Mostar. Toxic Lands is part of FUTURE ECOLOGIES, a programme from WE ARE HERE: Artists’ Moving Image from the British Council Collection and LUX, developed by Tendai John Mutambu (@tendaijmutambu ) British Council and LUX (@luxmovingimage ). In the Western Balkans, FUTURE ECOLOGIES is presented through a programme of exhibitions, screenings and public events, curated by curators from the region. Images show: various photographs of activities in the Toxic Lands programme, and an installation view of the screening of Uriel Orlow’s Muthi, 2016. Courtesy the artist and LUX.   #WeAreHereArtistMovingImage #ToxicLands #VisualArt #BritishCouncil #Mostar

We're currently looking for partners from Arts departments in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) for our Venice Fellowships Programme during the 59th International Art Exhibition – @labiennale in 2022. Partners will be able to send students and artists to Venice as Steward-Research Fellows participating in Sonia Boyce’s solo exhibition at the British Pavilion. Venice Fellowships offers Fellows a chance to engage with the content of the British show as a steward, taking an important role in the visitor experience at the British Pavilion. Candidates are not required to have previous gallery invigilation experience, but be able to demonstrate an interest in the arts and customer-facing work. The deadline to apply is Thursday 15 July 2021. Find out more through the link in our bio. Image credit: Installation view, folly, Phyllida Barlow, British Pavilion, Venice, 2017. Photo: Ruth Clark © British Council. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth #ArtsOpportunity #UKArts #BritishPavilion #VeniceBiennale #ArtStudent #VeniceFellowship

Seaside Modern: Art and Life on the Beach has recently opened at Hastings Contemporary (@_art_on_sea ). 12 works from the #BritishCouncilCollection will be displayed in this exhibition including this pencil drawing by Christopher Wood.  Since 1938 the British Council has been collecting works of art, craft and design to promote abroad the achievements of the very best British artists, craft practitioners and designers. The Collection has no permanent gallery and has been referred to as a 'Museum Without Walls'. Photo credit: Christopher Wood THE PLAGE, HOTEL TYMAD,TREBOUL, 1930  Pencil on paper, 30 x 37.5cm British Council Collection

The Storm by Eric Ravilious See this #BritishCouncilCollection work at the @townergallery in Eastbourne as part of their new exhibition ‘John Nash: The Landscape of Love and Solace’, open until 26 September 2021. Since 1938 the British Council has been collecting works of art, craft and design to promote abroad the achievements of the very best British artists, craft practitioners and designers. The Collection has no permanent gallery and has been referred to as a 'Museum Without Walls'. Photo credit: Eric Ravilious The Storm, 1941 Watercolour and pencil on paper, 49.5 x 54.6cm British Council Collection

Here's a few installation views and works featured in the recent British Council and @luxmovingimage exhibition ‘We Are Here: Songs From the Forgotten Past’ which closed last Sunday at @centrocentrocibeles . The exhibition featured works by Ayo Akingbade, John Akomfrah, Duncan Campbell, Luke Fowler, Susan Hiller, Samson Kambalu and Rehana Zaman and was curated by Tendai John Mutambu. #WeAreHereArtistMovingImage Credits: Installation view of Rehana Zaman, ‘I, I, I, I and I’, 2013, Colour, Stereo, 16.9. Courtesy the artist and LUX. Photo credit: Lukasz Michalak (@estudio_perplejo ) Installation view of Samson Kambalu's 'I Take My Place in History', 'I Take the Stairs to 1952', 'Cathedral' and 'Superfly' from ‘WE ARE HERE: Artists’ Moving Image from the British Council Collection and LUX - Songs From a Forgotten Past’ at CentroCentro, Madrid, Spain, 25 February 2021 – 30 May 2021. (c) Susan Hiller. Courtesy of the artist and Kate MacGarry, London. Photo: Lukasz Michalak / @estudio_perplejo . Installation view of John Akomfrah, ‘The Silence’, 2014, Single channel HD colour video, 5.1 sound, 16 minutes, 4 seconds. Courtesy of the artist, Smoking Dogs Films and British Council. Photo credit: Lukasz Michalak (@estudio_perplejo ) Installation view of Susan Hiller 'The Last Silent Movie', 2007, Single channel HD video projection / installation, 16:9, Black & White with stereo sound. (c) Susan Hiller. Photo credit: Lukasz Michalak (@estudio_perplejo ) Installation view of Songs From a Forgotten Past at CentroCentro. Photo credit: Lukasz Michalak (@estudio_perplejo )

We’re thrilled to share the news that @hepworthwakefield reopens its doors for the first time in six months today. As part of the reopening there is a new major exhibition celebrating the life and works of the great British sculptor, Dame Barbara Hepworth, including ten works from the #BritishCouncilCollection. Since 1938 the British Council has been collecting works of art, craft and design to promote abroad the achievements of the very best British artists, craft practitioners and designers. The Collection has no permanent gallery and has been referred to as a 'Museum Without Walls'. You can see this exhibition until 22 February 2022. Learn more about the British Council Collection and Dame Barbara Hepworth’s work by visiting the link in our bio. Photo credit: Barbara Hepworth Sea Form (Porthmeor), 1958 Bronze 117 cm wide British Council Collection        (c) Bowness #BritishCouncil #BritishCouncilCollection #VisualArt #Sculptor #BarbaraHepworth #Hepworth #HepworthWakefield #Wakefield #ReOpening

Watch expert panellists on topics affecting museums and galleries today: pivot to digital, community engagement, decolonisation, sustainability, innovation and equity. Link in bio @icomofficiel @museumassociation #CultureConnectsUs #AMeetingPlaceDiscussions #IMD2021

In January 2021 artists @RitaAdib , @Maya_Chowdhry , Mohamed A. Gawad and @tim4shaw joined Digital Arts Studios remotely for the British Council #NetWorkResidency. The residency supported the artists via four weeks of reflection, research, practice, skills exchange and professional networking opportunities focused on digital artistic practices and technologies. An online exhibition displaying their work runs until 7.6.21 - see link in bio @brit_visualarts @britishcouncilegypt @wysing.arts.centre @momentumberlin @goldenthread_gallery #CultureConnectsUs

The Net//Work Exhibition, showcasing work by Uma Breakdown, Danielle Braithwaite-Shirley and Layya Mona Tawil will take place online on @WysingArtsCentr ’s site until 7 June 2021. The exhibition will draw on the development of the artists’ digital research during the residency. From games to interactive audio and film, the exhibition will present these very different practices through the connections and reciprocity formed between the artists. Link in bio #NetWorkResidency #CultureConnectsUs @Brit_VisualArts @BritishCouncilEgypt @EastAfricaArts @Das_Belfast @GoldenThread_Gallery @MomentumBerlin @LeyyaMona @LadyDangfua @SupSupSupWhat @LimeRickeyInternational Image: Lime Rickey International at the New Peformance Turku Festival, Finland. Photo by Jussi Virkkumaa