ART BRITANNIA to Be Showcased at Art Basel, 12/1-12/21

Basel Hours:

December 1st, 4pm - 8 pm
Tea Party Preview
(RSVP artbritannia@gmail.com)

December 2nd - 8th , 11am - 7pm

December 5, 7-10 pm British-American Business Council hosted event - Official opening.

General hours - Open to Public: December 10th - 21st
Tuesday - Sunday
11 am - 7 pm

Exhibition runs until 21st December.

'Art Britannia' explores contemporary practice from UK with an emphasis on painting and craft. The exhibition features a 'mini show within a show', taken directly from The Lion and Lamb Gallery's 'Summer Saloon' exhibition. The Lion and Lamb is an artists run space, located in the back of an East End pub.

Art Britannia featured artists include: Charlie Billingham, James Capper, Gordon Cheung, Freya Douglas-Morris, Brad Grievson, Sam Jury, Hannah Knox, Mary Ramsden, John Robertson, Guy Rusha, Dolly Thompsett, Rebecca Ackroyd, Eleanor Moreton, Henny Acloque and Grant Foster.

LION X LAMB artists include: Phillip Allen, Kiera Bennett, Simon Bill, Katrina Blannin, Juan Bolivar, Claudia Bo?se, John Bunker, Jane Bustin, Stephen Chambers, John Chilver, Peter Ashton Jones, Dan Coombs, Ashley Davies, Mick Finch, Hayley Field, Benjamin Deakin, Kirsten Glass, Andrew Graves, Hans Hancock, Dan Hays, Mark Jones, David Leeson, Caroline List, Declan McMullan, Patrick Morrisey, Alex Gene Morrison, Joe Packer, Andy Parkinson, Dan Perfect, Daniel Pettitt, Clare Price, Fiona Rae, Andrew Seto, Francesca Simon, Lucy Stein, Michael Stubbs, Emma Talbot, Dolly Thompsett, Jacqueline Utley, Covadonga Valdes, Caroline, Walker, Mark Wright, Freyja Wright, Michelle Ussher, Darren Murray

Curated by Ben Austin (London) and produced by Karelle Levy (Miami).

This show is made possible with the support of Miami Design District, Dacra, Hendrick's Gin, The British Shop, The British American Business Council, Artlyst, Ilanllyr Source, HSBC, Fluff PR, and KRELwear.

Charlie Billingham "Bum 12"

British art has always had a distinctive quality perhaps stemming from the mix of post- Empire eclecticism with a touch of eccentricity.

The British are well known for having an idiosyncratic penchant for experimentation and exploration. In art throughout the 20th Century the British have constantly pushed boundaries be it with the advent of Modernism through to the beginnings of Pop, with artists like Richard Hamilton, David Hockney and Sir Peter Blake before the genre took off to New York with Warhol and Co. This set up a cultural dialogue between the old and new worlds, which still exists today.

By the 70's and 80's British artists continued be progressive and taboo breaking with the likes of Gilbert and George becoming 'living sculptures' and are now considered 'national treasures'. By the 90's a new wave of artists appear on the scene, graduates from Goldsmiths with plenty of attitude and with the backing of the Charles Saatchi become universally known as the yBas (Young British Artists). Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas grabbed headlines with art that shocked and amazed in equal measure. Pickled sharks and unmade beds surrounded by detritus created a new visual language laced with Post-Modern motifs. This art was bursting with bravado and possessed a visceral quality that demanded attention.

Twenty-five years on, 'Art Britannia' takes a rather different view. This is an exhibition that proudly celebrates craft, technical skill, mark making and gestures. An art with an alternative aesthetic, where the process is critical to the practice, be it through the act of painting or through considered constructions.

'Art Britannia' has no over arching theme, no curatorial dictate, merely a commitment to work that reflects a subtle yet seismic shift in British contemporary practice. Here we have bold and elemental abstractions, richly saturated landscapes, nude figure painting, romantic visions, unsettling video work and a mechanical construct.

The group is a healthy mix of slightly older, more established artists together with the next generation of recent graduates who are already appearing in important collections and shows.

www.artbritannia.com

Pictured: Gordon Cheung - 'Burning Light Breaks Waves'