Contemporary gallery opens in city centre
A contemporary photography gallery is to open in Birmingham city centre this week.
Based in the city’s Jewellery Quarter, the gallery will showcase contemporary photography from both British and international artists.
Argentea, which is sat amongst restaurants and offices in the tranquil space of St Paul’s Square, is aiming to help establish the careers of artists by promoting an appreciation of contemporary photography.
The gallery, which will open to the public on Friday, October 28, is the city’s first venue dedicated to the art of contemporary photography and all items on display will also be for sale.
Founder Jennie Anderson decided to set up the gallery after finding a real interest in contemporary photography during her studies. She studied photography at the University of Derby and went on to retain an MA from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.
This is Jennie’s first gallery and she is keen for locals to see the effort that has gone into it. She said: “This is a new venture for me and the gallery is in such a fantastic area.”
“We brought the building last September and we had the place completely refurbished before starting work on it in the middle of this year, so it’s been six months of hard work.”
Jennie is also eager for the gallery to not have an ‘exclusive’ feel. She said: “”I want the gallery to be accessible to people and don’t want it to be exclusive. But everything is for sale and exhibitions will be taking place around the year.”
A number of exhibitions are set to take place over the next year. Currently on display at the gallery are a series of contemporary photographs from Hungarian photographer Tamas Dezso and Edinburgh based Robin Gillanders.
Tamas Dezso’s ‘Notes for an Epilogue’ and ‘Here, Anywhere’ are on-going bodies of work depicting a time of transition in rural Romania and across Hungary following the fall of Communism in the late 1980s.
Robin Gillanders’ ‘A Lover’s Complaint’ is a series of still life photographs in response to French philosopher and writer Roland Barthes published novel ‘A Lover’s Discourse’ from 1977.
Both exhibitions will be on display until Saturday, November 26.
