The Grundy Art Gallery has announced a programme of exhibitions for the new season. Opening on Saturday 24 March with an artist’s talk at 2pm followed by the official launch from 3pm, the exhibitions are completely free of charge and open to all ages.


Here is a preview of the line-up for the next three months.

The Way Things Are: Roy Voss

Stretching through the Grundy’s two ground-floor gallery spaces, The Way Things Are is a sculpture, elegantly constructed in poplar wood in the shape a pier.

The Way Things Are draws our attention to the town’s built heritage and in particular to Blackpool’s three world-renowned piers.

Adding extra significance to the presentation of this work in Blackpool is that 2018 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Eugenius Birch, North Pier’s engineer.

Roy Voss, The Way Things Are 2017 is commissioned by De La Warr Pavilion, Grundy Art Gallery and Berwick Visual Arts.

All the World’s a Sunny Day: Roy Voss

Forming a 360-degree horizon around the walls of the gallery, All the World’s a Sunny Day comprises a series of collages made from found postcards, where a single word has been cut from the back and reinserted into the image on the front. The meanings of these words merge with the postcard’s image and characterise an emotional state.

Posted between the early 1960s and mid-1980s, the mass-produced postcards are now out of date and out of time. Sent both through a sense of duty, but also with love and a need to communicate and share, there is an intimacy in their brief, blue biro messages.

Neither Land nor Sea

Bringing together historical and contemporary representations of Blackpool’s piers, Neither Land nor Sea documents the enduring appeal of the architecture, atmosphere and activity of these Seaside structures. Alongside paintings and photographic works from the Grundy’s Collection, a series of images by 19th Century Blackpool-based photographer, Albert Eden, will also be exhibited.

Printed from glass slides and part of Blackpool Council’s Heritage Collections, these images will be shown alongside a selection of work from photographers based in, or with links to Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, for whom Blackpool’s piers are a frequent subject. The photographers are Linzi Cason, Karl Child, Yannick Dixon, Claire Griffiths, Dawn Mander, Jill Reidy, Richard Jon and Kate Yates.

Adrian Pritchard: Terraforma

Due to popular demand, Adrian Pritchard’s solo exhibition in the Grundy’s Rotunda Gallery will be extended until Saturday 14April.

Brought together for the first time as a single body of work, Terraforma is a solo exhibition by Blackpool-based artist Adrian Pritchard that explores the artist’s ongoing interests in physics and space exploration.

The exhibition is presented in the Grundy’s Rotunda gallery, where the domed ceiling adds an ‘observatory-like’ atmosphere to the space.

Cllr Luke Taylor, Lead Member for Arts on Blackpool Council, said: “I am delighted to announce the launch of Grundy Art Gallery’s spring exhibitions.

“With the inclusion of an ambitious newly commissioned sculpture by Roy Voss, stunning images by locally-linked photographers and archive images from The Albert Eden Collection, we hope that you will visit us and experience what promises to be an exciting mix of contemporary art and historical display.”

Events: These exhibitions will be supported by a programme of talks and events. Please see the Grundy’s website for further details.