Sweets treats and bright lights in spotlight in new exhibition at Blackpool's Grundy Art Gallery
“Grundy’s latest programme brings together so much of what makes Blackpool special”
Exhibitions reflecting Blackpool’s intrinsic links to sweet treats and bright lights are set to open at the resort’s Grundy Art Gallery.
Linny Venables: Sweet Factory and All Sweetness and Light, two separate but inter-connected exhibitions, will open at the gallery on Queen Street this Saturday, October 24.
Also opening, as the gallery marks turning 115-years-old, is a celebratory exhibition Collection Spotlight: Gifted, showcasing pieces which have been donated or gifted to Grundy’s collection.
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Sweet Factory is a vibrant and playful project by Liverpool-based Disabled artist, Linny Venables.
Her confectionary-inspired glass sculptures celebrate rich, shared histories of sweet making, working-class food traditions, and seaside culture.
Drawing a line between the process of glass making (liquid sand) and sweet making (liquid sugar), the exhibition thematically links Blackpool’s golden beaches and history of rock and ice-cream making.
Linny’s sculptures will be exhibited alongside new sweet-themed artworks made by Blackpool residents and artists from the pARTnership, and social history items on loan from Showtown History Centre.
All Sweetness and Light will complement the main exhibition. Bringing together pieces from Grundy Art Gallery’s own light art collection and light-based works on loan from public and private collections, these works tell stories of class, community, and personal identity.
Blackpool Council leader Cllr Lynn Williams, also Cabinet Member for Tourism, Arts and Culture said: “Grundy’s latest programme brings together so much of what makes Blackpool special.
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“Our relationship with light runs deep – like this month’s Lightpool festival and the year-round entertainment venues – so it is fantastic to see that connection explored through contemporary art.
“What I particularly love about this programme is the way it brings together light, seaside culture, working-class traditions, class, and community, while giving local people the opportunity to be part of the exhibitions themselves.”
The Grundy is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4:45pm (last entry at 4:20pm). It is closed Sundays, Mondays and Bank Holidays. Entry is free.
The Autumn Programme exhibition runs from October 24 to December 19, with a launch event on Saturday, 2-4pm – all welcome.
Grundy will also be open late night this Friday, October 23, 6-9pm, to coincide with the start of Lightpool Festival.