British Art Show 9, the UK's largest touring exhibition, opens in Wolverhampton this weekend

This weekend, Hayward Gallery Touring’s landmark exhibition British Art Show 9 (BAS9) will continue its national tour, opening in the city of Wolverhampton. Recognised as the most important and ambitious recurrent exhibition of contemporary art produced in the UK, British Art Show takes place every five years and brings the work of artists defining new directions in contemporary art to four UK cities. 

Following its first leg at Aberdeen Art Gallery (10 July – 10 October 2021), this new iteration of the exhibition sees 34 of BAS9’s 47 selected artists presented across two venues in Wolverhampton from 22 January to 10 April 2022: Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art. Following this, the exhibition will continue its national tour to multiple venues across Manchester before closing in Plymouth. 

British Art Show 9 is curated by Irene Aristizábal and Hammad Nasar, and showcases the multidisciplinary work of 47 contemporary artists. The exhibition reflects a precarious moment in Britain’s history, which has brought politics of identity and nation, concerns of social, racial and environmental justice, and questions of agency to the centre of public consciousness. BAS9 is structured around three main themes – Healing, Care and Reparative History; Tactics for Togetherness; Imagining New Futures – and has been conceived as a cumulative experience, adapting and changing for each city, and presenting different combinations of artists and artworks that respond to their distinctive local contexts. 

In Wolverhampton, the exhibition will focus on how we live with and give voice to difference, showcasing 34 artists whose works investigate identity from an intersectional perspective. By exploring coexisting identities such as class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, these works will be presented in critical dialogue with Wolverhampton’s cultural history which has been shaped by the diverse population​s​ that​ ​came to work and live there during the post-war period.​ Wolverhampton Art Gallery houses one of the most significant collections of art on ‘The​ ​Troubles’ outside Northern Ireland. It also collects works linked to the British Black Arts​ ​movement which has roots in the Wolverhampton School of Art where many of its members studied. As part of the BAS9 exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery there will be a capsule display of selected works from its collection.  

List of artists: 

Hurvin Anderson

Michael Armitage

Simeon Barclay

Oliver Beer

James Bridle

Helen Cammock

Jamie Crewe

Oona Doherty

Sean Edwards

Mandy El-Sayegh

Mark Essen

GAIKA

Beatrice Gibson

Patrick Goddard

Andy Holden

Lawrence Lek

Paul Maheke

Elaine Mitchener

Oscar Murillo

Grace Ndiritu

Uriel Orlow

Hardeep Pandhal

Hetain Patel

Florence Peake

Joanna Piotrowska

Abigail Reynolds

Margaret Salmon

Hrair Sarkissian

Marianna Simnett

Sin Wai Kin (fka Victoria Sin)

Hanna Tuulikki

Caroline Walker

Alberta Whittle

Rehana Zaman

Image Credit: Sin Wai Kin, A Dream of Wholeness in Parts (still), 2021 © the artist. Courtesy the artist, Chi-Wen Gallery, Taipei and Soft Opening, London. Produced by Chi-Wen Productions.