COVENTRY BIENNIAL 2023: … like a short cut through the brambles is now open

Image Credit: Coventry Biennial 2023 at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. Photo by Tegen Kimbley.

Coventry Biennial launches eagerly anticipated exhibition, … like a short cut through the brambles on October 6, redefining visitors’ perspective on art, culture and community engagement.

… like a short cut through the brambles is now open to the public across Coventry and the West Midlands, taking a thought-provoking approach to exploring humankind’s complex relationship with the world. Beginning with the broad themes of place and the human condition, the fourth Biennial showcases the talents of regional, national, and international artists, to provide a platform for diverse, creative voices.

A significant work in this year’s programme is an installation by Can Altay, which has been developed in consultation with local community groups and academics from the University of Warwick. His immersive artwork draws inspiration from the rich traditions of public water fountains in Ottoman cities, notably Istanbul, and ties into the wider themes of our environment and collective responsibility towards it.

Aside from Altay’s piece, A History of Frogs are presenting a site-responsive installation at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, alongside Vietnamese American artist Dinh Q. Lê, who presents a powerful multi-screen installation titled The Colony. Warwickshire-based artist Janet Tryner presents a major new installation and sculpture at the Old Grammar School, which examines the impact of housing developments on rural ecosystems through textile, digital processes, and found objects.

Coventry Biennial is held across five exhibition spaces and features the works of 15 diverse artists, as well as offering an array of engaging events and activities throughout the exhibition period. Notably, the Critical Curating event explores the vital role of curatorial practices in museums, galleries, and public spaces, providing a platform for in-depth discussion and exploration.

Ryan Hughes, Artistic Director and CEO of Coventry Biennial said: “It’s a pleasure to have renewed, and built new local partnerships across Coventry, Warwickshire and the whole West Midlands. This is perhaps most immediately visible in relation to our exhibition venues, but it’s been impactful to work with galleries and other cultural organisations across the region. We’ve produced amazing projects with Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, Compton Verney in Warwickshire as well as a huge range of smaller community groups across the city.”

“It’s also hugely significant that we continue to attract major national and international support from public funders, collections, trusts, foundations and commercial galleries. Of course, this contributes to making our work possible, but it also shines a spotlight on the whole region, its cultural institutions and the many brilliant artists that are based in the West Midlands.”

A History of Frogs said: “We are very excited to see our work in the context of Coventry and its mediaeval history. We will be showing our new work Goblin City in the undercroft at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, which could not be a better setting for our work, our crude gesture at a city that could have been or could be some day.”

Coventry Biennial 2023 artists:
A History of Frogs, Can Altay, Ania Bas, Phoebe Boswell, Alice Channer, Jo Gane, Clémence Lollia Hilaire, Seungwon Jung, Yva Jung, Dinh Q. Lê, Paul Lemmon and Graeme Macdonald, Rene Matić, Mothers Who Make Coventry, Jem Southam, Janet Tryner.

The full programme can be found here.
The full list of events can be found here.
The full list of exhibitions can be found here.

Principle Funders:

Major Partners:
British Council, Artangel, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Compton Verney

Project Partners:
Arcade, Arts Council Collection, Coventry Building Society, Coventry Business Improvement District, Coventry Cultural River Consortium, European Artistic Research Network, Freelands Foundation, Historic Coventry Trust, Historic England, Ikon Youth Programme, Midlands 4 Cities, Mothers Who make Coventry Hub, Nuneaton Library and Information Centre, Open Theatre, SpaceX, Screening Rights FIlm Festival, Warwick Arts Centre, Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

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