8 November 2006

Platforma - new exhibition

Cooper Gallery
Preview Fri 10 Nov 6-8pm
Exhibition runs 11 Nov - 9 Dec 2006

ROMANIA
Anca Benera
Irina Botea
Arnold Estefan
Caroline Rismont
Catalin Rulea

UK
Anton Beaver
Miranda Blennerhassett
Steven Cairns
Louisa Preston

Exploring how artist-led groups can work in collaboration, this exhibition celebrates GENERATORprojects tenth anniversary by bringing together four artists from this Dundee-based group with five artists from a new group based in Bucharest, Romania.

Recent months have seen strong links developed between artists in Dundee and Romania, and this latest project will act as a platform for further information exchange, with two of the Romanian artists travelling to Dundee.

It has been seen as important not to present work just as a group exhibition, but to examine the very nature of how a group of artists works. It can be hard to continue to work as a young artist after graduating - one of the main ways is to find like-minded people and work in a group.

Exhibitions Department Curator Jenny Brownrigg, who has recently co-curated a Young Artist biennial in Bucharest, says, 'We are delighted to welcome Romanian artists Anca Benera and Catalin Rulea from the Bucharest artist group over to meet and work with four Dundee-based artists in the Cooper Gallery.

"There is much exciting art going on in Dundee and Bucharest at the moment, and by directly linking these two groups of artists, we believe this is an important project to make strong connections and learn from two different ways of working."

All four of the Dundee artists are graduates from DJCAD.

The proposal for those invited is to design the environment of the Cooper Gallery space for both the Dundee and Romanian artists work to exist in or interact with. This consideration of space for the work will act as a bridge between the two groups. For the Bucharest-based group, there is a lack of available exhibition and studio space for emerging contemporary artists. For Generator, the Cooper Gallery space is a new challenge, as they move part of their activities from their industrial unit to the art college.

This project was initially conceived through visits to Bucharest by University of Dundee Exhibitions Department Curator Jenny Brownrigg, who is co-curator of The Young Artists’ Biennial, `Art is Always Somewhere Else/AWOL', (www.metacult.ro/awol) 2nd edition organized by the META Cultural Foundation in partnership with Goethe-Institut Bukarest ( 14 October - 16th of Nov 2006).

Two of the GENERATORprojects artists involved, Louisa Preston and Miranda Blennerhassett have already collaborated with Bucharest-based artist Anca Benera on a site-specific installation for the Bratianu Palace, the venue of AWOL.

This project has been supported by Visiting Arts, British Council, Scottish Arts Council, Dundee City Council, Romanian Ministry of Culture and University of Dundee.

Cooper Gallery, University of Dundee Exhibitions Department, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, 13 Perth Rd, Dundee DD1 4HT

tel:01382 385330 exhibitions@dundee.ac.uk www.exhibitions.dundee.ac.uk

OPENING TIMES///Cooper Gallery: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 10.30-4.308pm

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk