Spike Island

May 19 – September 5, 2021
Bristol, UK

Spike Island presents a major exhibition of new works by British artist Veronica Ryan (b. 1956, Montserrat). Supported by Freelands Foundation through the Freelands Award, this is Ryan’s largest and most ambitious exhibition in the UK to date.

Ryan is best known for her sculpture that is evocative of shapes, forms and objects from the natural world. Over the years, she has experimented with scale, material and technique while remaining focused on the interplay between conflicting opposites: revelation and concealment, container and contained, absence and presence. Her work sits at the intersection between materiality and idea, and enquires into the processes by which objects carry and construct meaning.

Made during an extended residency at Spike Island in Bristol, the works in Along a Spectrum examine environmental and socio-political concerns, personal narratives, history and displacement, as well as the wider psychological implications of the current pandemic. New works include cast forms in clay and bronze; sewn and tea-stained fabrics; and bright neon crocheted fishing line pouches filled with a variety of seeds, fruit stones and skins.

Fruits, seeds, plants and vegetables are recurring motifs in Ryan’s sculpture – they function metaphorically for the artist’s own sense of dislocation and, more widely, they allude to a history of trading across the globe. In Ryan’s work, personal experience is often conditioned by a sense of location. An important focus of her research is on the history of Montserrat and trying to identify its early culture prior to the arrival of the Europeans. As such, Along a Spectrum presents large groups of soursop skins and cocoa pods cast in clay and glazed with volcanic ash from Alliouagana, the name by which the native Caribs called the island of Montserrat.

– from Spike Island
Veronica Ryan at Spike Island

“I don’t know anyone who makes art for art’s sake.”

Read Veronica Ryan’s interview in The Art Newspaper

All visitors must:
Show proof of Covid-19 vaccination, at least 1 dose (for those who qualify).
Show Photo ID
Wear face covering or mask.

The Gallery and Community Room are limited to 50% capacity, 35 persons in each venue maximum.

For renters and users of the above venues, please refer to the below Covid 19 Rental rider:
Covid 19 Rider for Westbeth Gallery and Coomunity Room Sept_21

Pedro Giraudo, the Latin Grammy winner bassist and composer, will release his contemporary tango album Impulso Tanguero on May 28, 2021. Performed by his quartet of virtuoso musicians, the album showcases 9 original compositions that take tango beyond genre boundaries while adhering to its rich musical past.

The Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet’s new album is a classic example of Pedro Giraudo’s contemporary tango style which so elegantly and seamlessly crosses over to the world of chamber music.

One of the most compelling tango artists right now, Pedro Giraudo has always been passionate about taking this musical genre into new territories. With immense respect for its roots and rich musical past, he is an active ambassador of tango and a proponent of its evolution. The quartet’s fervent and virtuosic musical style takes elements from Argentine tango, American jazz, and European classical music, and at times even some Brazilian traditions — and combines them gracefully and organically.

The New York City based Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet is composed of four of the most prominent musicians in the tango world: Nick Danielson, violin; Rodolfo Zanetti, bandoneon; Ahmed Alom, piano; and Pedro Giraudo, bass. The deep musical and personal connection between these musicians add another dimension to the music they create in unison.

Pre Save to Spotify and iTunes

https://fanlink.to/impulsotanguero

Listen

Private label link for press
https://tigerturn.eonedistribution.com/play/211/f7ffa43bbcfc0c192158f7731cc25e154b40358f/

Review

“His arrangements have the ducking countermelodies and cross talk of a Bob Brookmeyer chart, and the feisty footwork of Astor Piazzolla’s up-tempo tunes.”
– Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times

Personnel

Nick Danielson (violin)
Assistant Concertmaster of the NYC Ballet Orchestra, and enjoys a distinguished career in both the classical and tango worlds.

Rodolfo Zanetti (bandoneón)
Recognized as one of the most prominent bandoneonists in the United States, performing at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Ahmed Alom (piano)
Considered a prodigy since the age of 14, winning many first prizes on piano competitions, and now living in New York, where he continues to garner acclaim.

Pedro Giraudo (bass and compositions)
Among the many noteworthy events in Pedro Giraudo’s career, he recorded bass on Ruben Blades’ CD “Tangos”, which won a Grammy and a Latin Grammy. He is also one of U.S.’s most prominent tango artists including Pablo Ziegler, Hector Del Curto, and Luis Bravo’s “Forever Tango”.

More Info

Website
www.pedrogiraudo.com

Westbeth Artist Page
Pedro Giraudo

Contact:
Cantaloupe Management, Ellen Azorin, ellenazorin@gmail.com – 212-724-2400