New exhibition aims to bring new look at contemporary drawing

A city art gallery will be putting on a show of some of the best up-and-coming works in contemporary drawing.

Charmaine Watkiss's work "Double Consciousness, Be Aware of One’s Intentions" will be among the exhibits

Wolverhampton Art Gallery will be hosting the British Museum touring exhibition "Drawing attention: emerging artists in dialogue."

Opening on Saturday, February 10, visitors will be able to discover some of the most compelling names in the field of contemporary drawing, displayed alongside works by celebrated artists within the British Museum collection of prints and drawings.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery will use this exhibition to highlight works in the city’s collection, while making meaningful connections with the British Museum’s collection of both historical and contemporary drawing.

The exhibition highlights new acquisitions by some of the new voices in the field, exploring questions of identity, memory and materiality, and using innovative materials and processes and the works are ‘paired’ alongside prints and drawings dating as far back as the early 1500s, demonstrating their continuities with historical traditions of draughtsmanship.

Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for visitor city, Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, said: “Working with the British Museum is incredible and means that both their collection and the city’s collection can be brought to life in a new way and tell a historical story as well as a modern day one with emerging artists that have taken part in the exhibition.

“It is important that we are able to work with our partners across the UK, highlighting works for residents, visitors and future generations to keep developing this story as it evolves.”

Mark Jones, interim director of the British Museum, said: “The British Museum’s prints and drawings collection is one of the best in the world.

"But it is vitally important for future generations that it continues to develop, so we are grateful to Art Fund’s New Collecting Award for allowing us to strengthen our holdings with exciting new British artists.”

Drawing attention: emerging artists in dialogue’ is supported by the Dorset Foundation in memory of Harry M Weinrebe.

The exhibition is free to attend and can be seen during Wolverhampton Art Gallery opening hours from February 10 to May 6, from Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

For more information, go to wolverhamptonart.org.uk.