The Plaza Principle will provide an opportunity to see a large-scale exhibition of contemporary art in Leeds, presenting the work of more than 40 young and established international artists.
Exploiting the scale and architectural qualities of the abandoned TK Maxx store, the exhibition will present a wide range of contemporary art, with an emphasis on sculpture, installation, video, performance and audio works.
Times of recession have proved in the past to generate energetic and inventive cultural activity, and this exhibition will reflect the austerity of its times, previewing on the eve of the announcement of what are expected to be the harshest of public spending cuts.
Located in the empty shell of a former shopping space, the project exists in the context of economic recession and customary attempts to disguise economic decline, commercial inactivity and property blight with a facade of cultural activity.
The Plaza Principle will include attempts to create a critical framework within which to acknowledge and critique its own complicity in these processes. In doing so it will be a platform for young artists making work with commitment, energy and humour.
Derek Horton is an artist, writer and publisher and Chris Bloor is an artist and the Head of Contemporary Art at Leeds Metropolitan University. They have collaborated for many years in art education, but this will be their first joint curatorial project.
The Plaza Principle is a major exhibition of contemporary art curated by Derek Horton and Chris Bloor.
Its preview is Thursday, 21 October, 6pm-9pm. Open 12–5pm every day from Friday 22 October to Sunday 31 October in the former TK Maxx retail space on the top floor of Leeds Shopping Plaza.
It is part of Art in Unusual Spaces, a scheme which utilises empty shop units in Leeds City Centre for events and exhibitions. For more information visit
Big Brother-ish event
There's been plenty of talk of so-called relational art in the last decade or so but Leeds-based collective SLICE will put a more literal spin on this troublesome term with their programme of activity in 42 New Briggate Gallery.
SLICE's aim is to get art students from the various institutions in the city talking and interacting with one another and strengthen relationships between young artists in the city.
Their most blatant strategy to bond the otherwise disparate art student demographic is via a series of residencies that will pair up students from different institutions and courses for an intensive five-day collaboration.
So, for example, a second year illustration student from Leeds College of Art could be matched up with a first year Fine Art student from University of Leeds and encouraged to make work together until Thursday.
Although SLICE's aims are focused on art students in Leeds the repercussions are much broader. In cities famed for the vibrancy of their artistic community - Glasgow, for instance - the art schools play a central role.
At present Leeds suffers from poor graduate retention and the thousands of young artists who have studied in the city migrate to other cities with 'more opportunities' and 'better infrastructure'.
SLICE intends to challenge this preconception of Leeds as lacking in potential by unveiling and facilitating the development of an already-existing artistic community abundant in number and talent that just need to get to know one another!
Check out Art in Unusual Spaces and Slice Leeds for more information.
Yvonne Carmichael helps run Art in Unusual Spaces.
