The Jerwood Contemporary Painters opens tonight

Claire Pestaille, The Soldier Boys, 2006
Copyright the artist, courtesy Rokeby

The Jerwood Contemporary Painters is the newest outing of the Jerwood Foundation’s exhibitions that promotes young artists. In previous years the Jerwood Painting Prize was restricted to a handful of artists and there was one prize winner. This year however the format offers the opportunity to see work by 30 selected artists who each receive £1,000 participation fee.

The exhibition aims to promote, discover and support imaginative and vibrant practice in contemporary painting and the works are wide ranging in their approach. There is no theme, idea, tradition, or technique shared by all. However, they are united by the particular interests of the selectors: Graham Crowley; David Rayson; and Elizabeth Magill who have selected the artists on the grounds of innovation, critical content, and skill. The selectors themselves are respected artists who work within painting and who spent months pulling together a long list of artists who interest them and who represent some of the debates within the subject. Look out for Duncan Swann’s challenging and controversial work Storyteller, Adam Latham’s creamy confection in Desserted hut andClaire Pestaille’s dark fairytale triptych The soldier boys. Five artists in particular challenge our perceptions of what constitutes a painting. They do not paint in the traditional sense. Each of the artists approach their work in a painterly fashion, each is concerned with the discourse of painting. For example, Damien Roach’s River, trees, cloud, sky is essentially a pile of books. Standing back from this arrangement, you can see a very definite landscape in the colours on the spines. Roach is appropriating a different media for his work, but he treats these books like paint.

The Jerwood Contemporary Painters exhibition runs from 15 February – 31 March at the Jerwood Space, Union Street, London SE1, open 10am – 5pm weekdays and 10am – 3pm weekends. The exhibition then tours from 18 April – 18 May to Bay Arts, Cardiff, and from 30 June – 23 September to The Lowry, Salford Quays. More information: 01372 462190.

Between the Space interventions

Olivia Plender, 'Work', 2006, courtesy the artist

Between the Space is a series of visual art interventions by UK based artists Arnaud Desjardin, Olivia Plender and Jo Roberts taking place from January to April 2007 on First Great Western trains travelling between Reading and Paddington and at their respective stations.

For his project Stranger on the Train Arnaud Desjardin has taken up a transitory residency on the trains offering his services to the public as an ‘artist for engagement’. He is inviting people to book meetings with him during his journeys to discuss his practice, the practice of other artists, and most importantly the assumed and implied roles of socially engaged arts practices, where the artist is hoped to better contemporary society according to current political agendas.

Olivia Plender has gained access to First Great Western's free in-house magazine Reach, where her new cartoon, Work, has been printed. The cartoon has been produced as a result of Plender's research and engagement with staff at Reading station and extends one of her current modes of practice, the comic. The cartoon depicts a long-standing station employee, Barry, who started work for First Great Western over 17 years ago through the Conservative government’s Youth Training Scheme. The image and snippet of personal history humanizes Barry, the station employee, prompting a feeling of mutual respect between customer and service. Work also reinforces and questions our understanding of political and social responsibility.

Jo Roberts has produced a free printed booklet available at Reading and London Paddington stations for her project Back and Forth. Inspired by her time spent on the local stopper trains between Reading and Paddington, Roberts’ not only documents her observations of the geographical journey but also, and perhaps more importantly, takes note of the very personal encounters that are taking place on the trains through mobile connection in this crossover of private and public space.

To arrange a meeting with Arnaud Desjardint and make your journey more interesting text: 07804 174962.

Between the Space is curated by Erica Burton.