ConTemporary Gallery
Wednesday, September 08 2004 @ 09:00 AM BST
Author: Admin Views: 106

The recently closed post office on Western Road, Brighton has been transformed into a contemporary gallery, where 40 artists will be showing work in two exhibitions over the next four weeks.

The show starts on Wednesday 8 September, and the contemporary gallery exhibition finishes on Monday 20 September. 



This is a great way of bringing art right into the community.  The closure of this post office is part of a huge cost cutting exercise by the Post Office.  This building was a main post office branch, and played an essential part in the local community for many years.  By stepping in before a permanent tenant arrives, the contemporary gallery is able to create something worthwhile out of a negative situation. 

Come and see behind the scenes, and mourn the passing of this post office.  Experience video, sculpture, painting, printmaking, drawing, ceramics and installation art in an intriguing setting, complete with post office counter!  Brace yourself for the basement - with it's massive walk-in bank vault, and creepy, cobwebby rooms - the ideal complement to thought provoking sculpture and installations.



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ConTemporary Gallery
Author: Dan on Thursday, September 09 2004 @ 10:38 PM BST
This is a great venue for an interesting exhibition: I liked Siobhan Collett's unusual knitwear, clay figures by David Price (full of character) and Caroline Brown's gentle absracts. Rob Holl and Guy Chetwynd are two to watch out for, both with a distinctly street art feel. And head for the basement and Angela Sacha's installation (thanks for the invite, Angela). Anyone else seen the show?

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Dan Thompson
RAG

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ConTemporary Gallery
Author: Nate on Friday, September 10 2004 @ 12:10 PM BST

This was an odd show to my mind. Some of the work was clearly site specific and a direct comment on the venue itself. That of a now disused post office. But the claustrophobic feel of the venue was never really used to its full. Some of the videos shown suffered because of there length and within those type of surrounding needed some sort of punch and immediacy that was there but not fully realised. This was evident in the installation showing the stills in the basement. This was stunningly beautiful piece that seemed oddly still and tranquil. But I found that I couldn�t stay the whole ten minuets due to the cramped atmosphere. My favourite video work was hidden by one of the doors. It comprised of three tv sets playing on a loop. A set of lips pushed forward to release a soft moan. This had the pace of video work that I like. There was enough to keep you engaged but timed well to let you enjoy the work and then move on to return at your leisure.

There were clearly stand out works those of the street art looking works that Dan mentioned in the review above. But these to me paled compared to the work that I missed on the first trip around. That was the knitted crotchless pants and bra. These to me are as funny as they were cleaver. Knit wear in a post office to conjures images of old ladies cueing for there pension. But the fact that this was clearly that of a young and adventurous young lady (I say this assuming you would have to be that way inclined to wear crotchless knickers I may be wrong). The contrasts of these two things for me made the work stand out far above the other works.

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