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Artist Ben Cove has won the North West Open Prize, organised by Art Gene. The Manchester artist's paintings' Superman's First Love, SuperManor and Lori Falls for Clark, particularly impressed the judges, landing him the two-month residency at the Barrow art organisation's gallery, valued at £6,500. Chen Zhou, director of the Chinese European Art Centre in Xaimen, South China, presented Ben with the prize letter. Painted on board in acrylic and household gloss, and with wheels attached to the bottom, Ben's paintings are bold and striking contemporary statements, drawing references to the comic book superhero. They take pride of place at the Art Gene gallery, which is at the Nan Tait Centre, on Barrow's Abbey Road, exhibited among 30 other selected works from artists all over the North West until November 30, including work by Trevor Avery, the visual arts officer at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre, and Barrow artists Michael Rollins and Steve Wharton...
Artists and Art Gene founders Maddi Nicholson and Stuart Bastik say Art Gene is a laboratory environment for artists and art-led initiatives - a workshop facility where new contemporary visual artworks in all mediums are produced and exhibited and where new ideas are developed and exchanged. They tell me the company is committed to the research, production, promotion, exhibition, documentation and dissemination of new works of contemporary art through the provision of affordable, high quality managed studios, and a spacious contemporary gallery.
It runs a residency programme for international contemporary artists as well as holding international exhibitions which bring artists from all over the world to the Barrow studios. The programme is focused on artists whose work reflects or comments on urban regeneration. Regeneration is the core of Art Gene activity. The Barrow project began for Maddi and Stuart five years ago with the redevelopment of a derelict Victorian technical college into Art Gene's landmark building. Incorporated in 2002, the company has quickly established an international reputation which has lead to the Arts Council capital allocation of £100,000 to upgrade the Art Gene gallery, which will have a considerable impact on the company's ability to deliver quality cultural tourism to a regenerating town.
Adrian Mullen
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