Turner Contemporary, located along Margate’s scenic seafront, reopens to visitors this weekend.
The popular art gallery has been closed since Monday, February 21. However, the public can return to this cultural hotspot from Saturday March 5 and visitors can explore the new POW! Exhibition, Reclaim the Narrative, during the opening weekend.
Reclaim the Narrative is a group exhibition showcasing an exciting variety of paintings, photography, film and graphic text by eight Kent-based artists. Each artist has ties to countries like Ukraine, Bolivia, El Salvador, Iran, Sierra Leone, India and Nigeria.
The exhibition sees artists share stories about their communities and how their lives and experiences are portrayed through art.
Turner Contemporary will have a restricted schedule in place until its next exhibition, Wayfinder: Larry Achiampong & JMW Turner, which opens Saturday, March 12.
This is the first major solo exhibition by Larry Achiampong, a British-Ghanaian artist who has worked in film, sculpture, installation, sound, collage, music and performance.
For this exhibition, Larry has curated a collection of paintings by 19th century painter and gallery owner JMW Turner.
Artists presenting exhibits at Turner Contemporary are invited to explore JMW Turner’s legacy and introduce historical art to the public. Larry chose oil paintings, watercolors and other pieces from the artist’s extensive body of work.
This exhibition also includes Larry’s new feature, Wayfinder, about a young girl’s journey through England. Set in a pandemic, the film encourages a dialogue about class, economics, belonging and heritage.
“I am so excited to share the expanded vision of this story which marks an exciting new stage in my artistic practice,” says the 37-year-old. “I never intended to create a film of this size, but due to the breadth of ideas that evolved along the way, it became increasingly inevitable that this would become my first feature film. .”
The Wayfinder exhibition will also include a game room, created in collaboration with Turner Contemporary with BAFTA Young Game Designers, The Prince’s Trust and Into Games.
The game room will showcase the video games that inspired Larry’s work. This interactive space will allow visitors to play with consoles, attend game design workshops and listen to game soundtracks – and the best part is that access is free.
“This project is a poignant moment for me, not only professionally and as a filmmaker, but also personally,” says the London-born artist. “It felt very important and necessary, especially at this point, to be able to bring this range of topics and conversations to the table at what is increasingly becoming a controversial moment in our time.”
Wayfinder: Larry Achiampong & JMW Turner is open until Sunday, June 19.
Tickets to Turner Contemporary are free, but must be reserved online in advance here.
