Sutton, A., Robertson, R., Lindezey, H., 2016.

OutsiderXchanges Exhibition

OutsiderXchanges is a collaborative visual arts project, between 12 artists exploring new ways of inter-responsive visual arts practice.

Over a period of seven months, ten artists have been working from Castlefield Galleries New Art Spaces in Chorlton, Manchester and two from Baltic 39 in Newcastle exploring new and innovative ways of collaborative art practice. The project brought together 6 learning disabled artists and 6 emerging artists, to examine disability arts aesthetic and investigate its place within the contemporary visual arts scene.
This exhibition at the Quay Gallery reveals the final art pieces to result from this project. The art work is displayed alongside materials and documents revealing the relationships, work, play and collaboration that led to the creation of these pieces.

Throughout the process, each artist has been given cause to deeply reflect on their own individual interests and practice including (and not exclusively) schools, life histories, popular culture, celebration, action figures, food, architecture, film, found objects, acting, writing, period fashion and local history. All these themes are demonstrated throughout the exhibition, as well as recurring themes of communication, memory and identity. The work is multi-media and multi-layered in nature to reflect the variety of unique perspectives and approaches, which blurs the boundaries between art practice and everyday life.

A Venture Arts project in partnership with Castlefield Gallery, CVAN and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts. OutsiderXchanges is supported through public funding by Arts Council England.