Artangel today announced The Artangel Collection, a new initiative to bring 21 outstanding film and video works, commissioned and produced by Artangel over the past 20 years, to galleries and museums across the UK, and to commission new works in collaboration with Ikon, Birmingham and the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. The Artangel Collection comprises film and video installations by contemporary artists such as Francis Alÿs, Jeremy Deller, Atom Egoyan, Douglas Gordon, Tony Oursler, Paul Pfeiffer and Gregor Schneider.
As part of an innovative alliance between Artangel and Tate, and to mark the 20th anniversary of James Lingwood and Michael Morris becoming Co‐Directors of Artangel, nine existing bodies of work will be donated to Tate by Artangel and the artists. They will join the seven Artangel‐commissioned works already held in Tate’s exceptional collection of film and video work to form ‘The Artangel Collection at Tate’. From 2012, Artangel plans to develop with Tate a wider network of galleries and museums based outside London to which works from the Collection would be loaned.
Two new regional partners, Ikon, Birmingham and the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, will join Artangel to co‐commission five major new works. The first two of these will premiere at two of Europe’s most important festivals this year; Yael Bartana’s Lying In State, at the 54th Venice Biennale opening in June 2011, and Anri Sala and Šejla Kamerić’s 1395 Days without Red premiering at the Whitworth Art Gallery as part of Manchester International Festival in July 2011. Subject to the agreement with the artists, in five years’ time, the new commissions will be offered to Tate.
Michael Morris and James Lingwood, Co‐Directors of Artangel said:
Over the past two decades, we’ve been fortunate to collaborate closely with a range of remarkable artists whose powerful visions have set a new benchmark in film and video. We want their work to be seen as broadly as possible and under the best available conditions. Thanks to the generosity of those artists, the funders of this timely initiative and the creative energy of our new co-commissioning partners, the Collection will allow Artangel to spread its wings even more widely.
Moira Sinclair, London Executive Director of Arts Council England said:
The Artangel Collection represents a new chapter in the presentation of film and video work. It is this spirit of greater collaboration that will enable arts organisations to reach more people with the very best contemporary art; and present it in a way that is befitting of the work itself. This project is setting new ground, and we look forward to seeing the benefits for artists, audiences and galleries across the country.
Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate said:
Artangel has consistently brought into being extraordinary works by contemporary artists. We are delighted that Artangel will be collaborating with Ikon and the Whitworth Art Gallery to produce new works and that James Lingwood and Michael Morris have announced they will donate to Tate film and video works commissioned by Artangel over the last two decades. This most generous and imaginative gesture would ensure that these remarkable works of art could be enjoyed by generations to come and would be made available for loan to galleries in the UK and beyond.
The Artangel Collection is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.