Jeremy Deller, English Magic, British Pavilion 2013, Photo by Cristiano Corte, © British Council.

British Pavilion

55th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia

Jeremy Deller

The British Council is delighted to present English Magic, a new exhibition by Jeremy Deller which has been conceived and created for the British Pavilion at the 55th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

The exhibition reflects the roots of much of Deller’s work, focusing on British society - its people, icons, myths, folklore and its cultural and political history. He weaves together high and low, popular and rarefied to create unique and thought provoking work.

English Magic addresses events from the past, present and an imagined future. Deller frames these instances in a way that is contemporary but also true to the original subject, weaving a narrative that is almost psychedelic; hovering delicately between fact and fiction, real and imagined.

After Venice, UK audiences will be able to view the exhibition at the William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and Turner Contemporary, Margate in 2014. This national tour, which is the first of its kind, has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Art Fund – the national fundraising charity for art.

‘It’s been great to be able to make new work for a building like the British Pavilion. I’m also really happy that the show will return to British shores in 2014!’ Jeremy Deller

English Magic - a new film work by Jeremy Deller - forms a major part of his exhibition for the British Pavilion in 2013. The film brings together many of the ideas behind the works in the Pavilion, featuring visual and thematic elements that reflect Deller's interest in the diverse nature of British society and its broad cultural, socio-political and economic history. The music is performed by the Melodians Steel Orchestra from South London and was recorded in Studio 2 of Abbey Road Studios in London.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, published by the British Council, which features a new essay by Hal Foster and an interview between Jeremy Deller, Chris Dercon and John Paul Lynch.

The British Council appoints a committee of leading arts professionals from across the UK to select the British representation for the Venice Biennale every two years. The committee for 2013 was;

Ben Borthwick, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Artes Mundi 5, Cardiff; Maoliosa Boyle, Director, Void Gallery, Derry; Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern, London; Simon Groom, Director, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Waldemar Januszczak, Art Critic, The Sunday Times; Jenni Lomax, Director, Camden Arts Centre, London; Victoria Pomery, Director, Turner Contemporary, Margate; Simon Wallis, Director, The Hepworth Wakefield

EXHIBITION DETAILS British Pavilion, Giardini di Castello, Venice 30122

EXHIBITION DATES
1st June to 24th November 2013
10am-6pm Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Mondays.

VAPORETTO
Giardini

THE BRITISH PAVILION IS MANAGED BY THE BRITISH COUNCIL VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT

Commissioner: Andrea Rose
Exhibition Curator: Emma Gifford-Mead

PRESS
For press information, interview opportunities and images please contact:
Chloe Kinsman or Kara Reaney at Pelham Communications:
T. +44 (0) 208 9693 959
T. +44 (0) 7824 697 795
E. chloe@pelhamcommunications.com
E. kara@pelhamcommunications.com

INFORMATION ABOUT THE BRITISH COUNCIL:
Alex Bratt
T. +44 (0) 7798 840 876
E. Alex.Bratt@britishcouncil.org
http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/

EXHIBITION TOUR VENUES AND DATES
William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest, London
Late January – end March 2014
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol
April - September 2014
Turner Contemporary, Margate
September – December 2014