In my mind, the New Art Exchange is the coolest art venue in Nottingham, situated as it is in the wonderfully diverse area of Hyson Green. The building stands as a bold statement of pride in the diversity of the people of Nottingham and this exhibition brought together 40 carefully curated submissions to the open exhibition. This was a very busy evening and people-watching was almost as distracting as the work itself. The event was interspersed with a live dance performance that spilt out onto the streets creating an iconic juxtaposition of affluent wine-guzzling spectators against the bewildered local residents.
I follow the work of Tim Fowler, as a rising star on the local contemporary art scene, and I really enjoy his take on botanical art, with a bold palette and mixed media approach. Other work focussed on immigration, colonialism and the cultural challenges of settling in modern Britain. The video shorts were mixed but one stood out which showed a black female dancer entwined around the staircase of a house clearly built on the back of the slave trade.
