Week 28, Emergency, 40 Stories
Joanne Bushnell, Director
It feels a little ironic to be writing about Emergency in a week when we’ve had to temporarily close the gallery, but here I am reflecting on another challenge back in 2003, & how the team turned it into an opportunity which has impacted on the lives & careers of 83 artists (as of next week)!
I think I recall that a scheduled project didn’t get the funding hoped for so we ended up with a gap in our exhibition programme & no money. What we did have was a highly sought after exhibition space & a team of young arts professionals, many of whom were also practicing artists. So, we went to the beach for a staff BBQ to try & work through the problem collectively.
What we came up with was Emergency, a show which sought to provide international emerging artists with a genuinely valuable opportunity. This was a time when there were many open submission exhibitions, for which artists paid an entry fee & were then crammed into galleries. We wanted to do better; inviting outstanding artists, curators & gallerists from the public & private sector to select only 8-12 artists for a group show & awarding the prize of a solo exhibition to one artist (or collaboration) the following year. For the first Emergency we were overwhelmed by 350 applications, which inevitably meant an awful lot of disappointed artists, so we also programmed a seminar (free to those who had applied) to demystify the selection process, create transparency & build connections.
As we prepare to open our 9th iteration next week, I’m very pleased to say we no longer charge artists for entry, but Emergency remains a cornerstone of our programme. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the 27 selectors who have contributed over the last 17 years & all the amazing artists who have participated. Please click here for the details of Emergency 2021.
Emergency 9 – 2021
Artists: Helen Anna Flanagan, Vera Hadzhiyska, Eugene Macki, Adriane Morard, Rhys Morgan, Rossella Nisio, Jim Roseveare, Jessica Wetherly.
Selection panel: Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex; Helen Cammock, Artist; Alessio Antoniolli, Director Gasworks; Will Lunn, Director Copperfield Gallery.
Emergency 8 – 2017
Artists: Eleanor Breeze, Matthew Gough, James Lewis, Lindsey Mendick, Flore Nové-Josserand, Beth Emily Richards, Maggie Roberts and Lotte Rose Kjær Skau.
Selection panel: Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex; Lindsay Friend, Director IMT Gallery (Image Music Text); Cathy Lomax, Artist & Director Transition Gallery and Adam Sutherland, Director Grizedale Arts.
Emergency 7 – 2015
Artists: Alison Carlier, Rita Evans, Euan Gray, Caroline King, Jane Lawson , Laura Malacart, Steve Moberly, Maya Ramsay, Chris Shaw Hughes, Tim Simmons.
Selection panel: Artist Suki Chan; Karen Mackinnon, Director and Curator at Artes Mundi; Kwong Lee, Director of Castlefield Gallery; and Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.
Emergency 6 – 2013
Artists: Oliver Braid, Anne-Marie Creamer, Jim Howieson, Candice Jacobs, Ben Judd, Adrianna Palazzolo, James Parkinson, Kit Poulson, Shaan Syed, Marie Toseland.
Selection panel: Simon Morrissey, Dir WORKS | PROJECTS; Donna Lynas, Director of Wysing Arts Centre; S. Mark Gubb & Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.
Emergency 5 – 2011
Artists: Julian Brown, Kit Craig, Dan Coopey, Blue Curry, Tom Iriks, Amanda Loomes, Scott Mason, Hania Stella-Sawicka, Christine Sullivan & Rob Flint, Duncan Swann, Charlie Tweed.
Selection panel: Ivan Morison, artist; Margot Heller, Director, South London Gallery; Julia Alvarez, Director, Bearspace; and Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.
Emergency 4 – 2009
Artists: Charlotte C Mortensson, Chloe Brooks, Eunju Yoo, Femmy Otten, Glad Fryer, Jack Southern, Karin Kihlberg, Katie Davies, Katie Pratt, Reuben Henry.
Selection panel: David Blandy, artist; Deborah Smith, freelance curator; Michael Stanley, Director, Modern Art Oxford; and Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.
Emergency 3 – 2007
Artists: Benjamin Senior, Cathy Ward, Dolly Thompsett, Eric Wright, Jennifer Douglas, Jock Mooney, Magali Reus, Paul Becker, Pil & Galia Kollectiv.
Selection panel: Harold Offeh, artist; Paul Hedge, Co-director of Hales Gallery, London; Hannah Firth, Curator, Chapter and Wales at Venice Biennale 2007; Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.
Emergency 2 – 2005
Artists: Jo Coupe, Steve Dutton, Tim Machin, Steve Swindells, Simon Woolham, Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi.
Selection panel: Susan Collis, artist; Mark Segal, Director ArtSway; Danielle Arnaud, Director Danielle Arnaud; Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.
Emergency – 2004
Artists: David Blandy, Jake Clark, Susan Collis, Juneau Projects, Thomas Cox-Bisham, Sarah Hardy, Simon Morse, Daniel James Newnham, Marcelle Price, Ian Skoyles.
Selection panel: Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex; Sarah Shalgosky, Mead Gallery; Nick Baker fa projects; Helen Maurer, artist.