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19/7/2012

Mark Power

The New Art Gallery Walsall, Walsall

West Bromwich’s Multistory, one of the UK’s leading community arts agencies, has commissioned renowned Magnum photographer, Mark Power, to document the Black Country in its many forms.
 
While making a series of urban landscapes of the Black Country - an area hit particularly hard by the economic recession – Mark noticed the array of thriving beauty salons and gentlemen's clubs peppering local shopping arcades. Investigating this further, he discovered a number of historical precedents for the success of beauty and sex industries in times of austerity.

Mark therefore made a series of short films in a number of beauty salons (extravagant nail decoration; specialised eye make-up; spray tanning; some gruesome piercings; a mother having the names of her five children tattooed onto her thigh); and in a nightclub (a pole-dance and a lap-dance). A further series of pictures shows elegant footwear seen from pavement level against a backdrop of grey concrete and crumbling brick, while a sound installation turns the names used to describe the colours of make-up and tattooist’s dyes into a mantra-like poem. All this serves to complement the apparent bleakness of the landscapes depicted in the large format photographs. 

However, for many years Power's work has sought to reveal the beauty of the everyday and the overlooked and there is a quiet yet simmering splendor in the landscapes as well. Collectively, the exhibition seeks to ask questions about perceptions of beauty and the importance of looking good in spite of it all.

Mark Power:
“I was raised in nearby Leicester so the Black Country does feel faintly familiar, yet I feel detached enough to be able to look at the area with fresh eyes. However, as my project developed, I began to realize that the Black Country became a microcosm for many communities hit hard by the recession. That said, kinder, friendlier people you'd be hard pressed to meet, anywhere. Working here has been a joy.”

Emma Chetcuti, Director of Multistory:
“Mark Power’s stills and videos complement each other perfectly. His beautifully detailed landscapes draw the viewer in, yet the photographer himself retains a respectful distance. The videos, on the other hand, are unashamedly intimate; to the point that they are sometimes hard to look at. Yet, at all times, Mark finds beauty and dignity in the overlooked and in people’s continued efforts to make the best out of what they have.”

Stephen Snoddy, Director of The New Art Gallery Walsall:
“We’re delighted to have this major exhibition of Mark Power’s Black Country Stories on display at The New Art Gallery Walsall from the 20 July - 15 September. The Black Country has been hit particularly hard by the country’s economic recession; however Mark’s work complements the apparent bleakness of the urban landscapes and reveals the splendor and simmering beauty in his photographic observations.”

Mark Power and Multistory are grateful to the many kind and generous people they have worked with on this project.

Black Country Stories is an innovative portrait of life in the Black Country in the post-industrial Midlands. It reinvents the creative documentation of working class Britain by artists from Humphrey Jennings to Stanley Spencer, George Orwell to Bill Brandt. It does so through the unique connections between Black Country people and international artists enabled by Multistory, through a globalizing, diverse perspective and through its use of new technology to make and distribute the work.

Black Country Stories is a multi-commission programme, produced by Multistory, that invites outstanding artists to document and record life in the Black Country. Multistory commission internationally renowned documentary photographers, film-makers, and authors to tell amazing stories that celebrate everyday life in the Black Country.

The New Art Gallery Walsall presents, collects and interprets historic, modern and contemporary art in innovative and challenging ways. The gallery is open 5 days a week and welcomes visitors from all over the globe. The gallery aims to increase the understanding and enjoyment of arts and culture through our dynamic exhibition, education and event programme.

The New Art Gallery is run and maintained by Walsall Council and also receives significant financial support from Arts Council England.

Image: Shoes: Samantha Beet, 2011

For further information contact Caron Wright at Multistory on 0121 533 7192 / 07875 704973 or email caronwright@multistory.org.uk

Multistory is a community arts organisation based in West Bromwich, delivering projects across the Black Country. Multistory works with communities and artists to make art that celebrates lives. www.multistory.org.uk

For gallery interview opportunities and further information, please contact:
Chris Wilkinson, Marketing and Development Assistant on 01922 654416;
email: wilkinsonc@walsall.gov.uk or Natalie Greenway, Press & Publicity Officer, Communications & Marketing on 01922 650853; email: greenwayn@walsall.gov.uk

In Conversation
Saturday 8 September, 2012: 2pm
Join Mark Power with Emma Chetcuti from Multistory and Deborah Robinson from The New Art Gallery Walsall for an informal tour of the exhibition.

Book your free place in advance by calling: 01922 654400.

The New Art Gallery Walsall
Gallery Square - Walsall
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. Closed Mondays, Sundays and
Bank Holidays
Free admission

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