WARWICK Arts Centre’s Mead Gallery has reopened after being closed for three-and-a-half years for a major redevelopment.
The first event at the new-look venue – Dappled Light by Rana Begum – is now under way and runs until March 13.
Elected to the Royal Academy in 2020, Rana has exhibited around the world, with recent commissions including work for Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, New York University, and for London City Island.
Admission to the exhibition which explores the perception of light and colour through vibrant paintings, sculptures, and installations is free and the collection of work is available to view between 11am and 8pm Tuesday to Sunday.
The Mead Gallery has been at the centre of the visual arts world in the Midlands since 1986, hosting major international artists such as Henry Moore, Peter Lanyon and artist-turned-film-maker Steve McQueen.
It closed in June 2018, after exhibitions dedicated to painter Clare Woods and mid-20th century artist/ designer John Piper, as part of the arts centre’s wider transformation programme.
Now situated on the ground floor of Warwick Arts Centre, at the heart of the new foyer, the repositioned Mead Gallery is more visible and has retained its familiar and adaptable L-shape.
With a floor area of 6,458sq ft, it is the largest single dedicated contemporary exhibition space in the region.
Warwick Arts Centre’s director Doreen Foster said: “As one of the UK’s most significant and respected contemporary galleries, our
Mead Gallery has been sorely missed. “We’re especially pleased to be opening with new work from Rana, whose work is simply stunning.
“Dappled Light is a perfect way to reintroduce the Mead to everyone – from art aficionados, to casual visitors who’ve just popped in early before seeing a film, concert or show.”
Rana said he was so excited to share this body of work which stemmed from new explorations in the studio he pushed and developed in response to the architecture and the natural light of the renovated Mead space.
“Together with curator Cliff Lauson, we have considered how people will move through the space, and the atmosphere and experience it will create.”
Warwick Arts Centre began to reopen in October after a £25.5million redevelopment – the largest in its history.
It now has a more spacious foyer and three state-of-the-art cinemas, along with numerous performance spaces.
The much-anticipated return of the Mead is major event in the visual art calendar – both nationally and internationally.
Visit warwickartscentre.co.uk for more on Warwick Arts Centre and the Mead Gallery.
