TOWNER 100: Unseen
11 February to 14 May 2023
Free admission
Still from SUNLIGHT, Elizabeth Price, 2013, two screen video installation. Courtesy of the artist. Towner Eastbourne
What does a public collection look like in the 21st century? Which artists and artworks get acquired for a gallery collection and which get displayed? How are these decisions made and who is making them? What does a town’s collection say about its communities?
In Towner’s one-hundredth year, these are some of the questions that we hope to engage with by highlighting a selection of new acquisitions that have joined our permanent collection more recently. Towner’s is a Living Collection, one that has developed over time and continues to reflect the ambitions of the organisation to support artists at all stages of their careers – collecting both emerging and contemporary artists as well as works by modern British artists.
Including painting, moving image, prints, drawing and illustration, sculpture, installation, and photography, this exhibition will bring together some key works from the collection, many of which are unseen, having not yet been displayed since being acquired. Artists featured include Michael Rakowitz, Richard Billingham, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Tom Hammick, Jananne Al-Ani, Roland Jarvis, Rachel Jones, David Nash, Elizabeth Price, Jem Southam, Andy Warhol, André Derain and Clare Woods.
Alongside TOWNER 100: The Living Collection in Gallery 1, this exhibition will tell some of the stories about gifts, bequests and purchases that have contributed to making the collection what it is today and looking at how it might develop into the future.
Large Print Guide
If you are visiting the exhibition, you can download a large print copy of the wall texts. You can also access printed guides in the gallery by asking a member of staff at the exhibition entrance.
Glossary
In the text panels and labels for our TOWNER 100 exhibitions you will find a glossary of words that are often associated with a collection of artworks.
The words help describe what a collection is, how artworks come into a collection and some of the actions used when looking after artworks.
Part of TOWNER 100: Celebrating Our Centenary
Jessica Warboys, Sea Painting, Birling Gap, 2017. ©The Artist. Towner Eastbourne. Photo by Will Barrett.
Rachel Jones, Lick your teeth, they so clutch, 2021. Towner Eastbourne.
Michael Rakowitz, april is the cruellest month, 2021. Towner Eastbourne. Photo by Will Barrett.
Installation view, TOWNER 100: Unseen, 11 February to 14 May 2023. Photo by Rob Harris.
Dineo Seshee Bopape, Sedibeng, it comes with the rain, Towner Eastbourne, 2019. Photo by Rob Harris.
Installation view, TOWNER 100: Unseen, 11 February to 14 May 2023. Photo by Will Barrett.
Installation view, TOWNER 100: Unseen, 11 February to 14 May 2023. Photo by Will Barrett.
Jessica Warboys, Sea Painting, Birling Gap, 2017. ©The Artist. Towner Eastbourne
Installation view, TOWNER 100: Unseen, 11 February to 14 May 2023. Photo by Will Barrett.
Accessibility Information
Towner strives to host inclusive, accessible exhibitions. If you have any questions, please talk to a member of staff or contact us on towner@townereastbourne.org.uk
○ There are two sets of large, heavy glass doors leading into and out of the exhibition.
○ The artworks in this exhibition should not be touched.
○ There is one moving image work with a soundtrack and intermittent flashing lights.
○ There is one installation work with separate elements and small parts in the room all over the floor and may feel slightly overcrowded.
○ There are two glass vitrines with works on paper in them at table height.
○ The reading level of the wall text and labels is 10+ years.
○ Large print guides are available.
○ Audio guides are not available.
○ Braille guides are not available.
○ Easy Read guides are not available
○ There is a change in light level between several spaces, from dark, to lower and medium light levels. Visitors may need time to adjust their eyes.
○ Noise levels are generally low but may be louder when busy. The moving image work by Elizabeth Price, SUNLIGHT, contains loud noises and music, and will carry over into adjacent galleries.
○ All spaces are scent-free, except for one installation which is very mildly scented with cinnamon and star anise.
○ Flooring is resin concrete, except one room with black carpet.
○ The galleries are busiest between 11.00am and 2.00pm.
○ Some seating is available in the space. Portable seating is available on request.
○ Ear plugs, ear defenders, magnifying glasses, and wheelchairs are available.
○ A quiet relaxed space with low lighting is available in Ravilious Gallery and Collection Library on the first floor.
○ A gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible bathroom can be found on the ground floor.
○ Comfortable space for service animals to rest can be found in the ground floor foyer; with watering facilities available in the nearby cafe.
