An opportunity to immerse yourself for a full 24 hours in art from experiencing some of the hottest contemporary art shows in the country to sleeping in a fully-functioning “Airbnb” art installment designed by one of 8 contemporary artists and curated by artist-run gallery OUTPOST. 

Home to the first provincial school of art in the country - the internationally renowned Norwich School of painters - Norwich has rapidly been gaining a reputation as a centre for creative excellence with its innovative, high-profile schedule of cutting edge contemporary art shows. 

Norwich has hosted EASTInternational, a biennial celebration of contemporary art and last year Norwich Castle offered a rare opportunity to see groundbreaking work by American artist Jeff Koons.

This summer is no exception with British Art Show 8 (BAS8), Hayward Touring's most ambitious and prestigious exhibition of contemporary art, making its inaugural debut in East Anglia with a unique presentation.

British Art Show 8 is dedicated to showcasing the best work of a new generation of artists. The artists are chosen on the grounds of their contribution to art in this country in the last five years – making The British Art Show a vital measure of the current state of contemporary art in the UK. The showing is organized in collaboration with Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Norwich University of the Arts.  

Coinciding with British Art Show 8 in Norwich, OUTPOST, an artist-run gallery, will present their annual Members' Show, selected by Lynda Morris and Chris Rawcliffe, featuring the work of 30 artist members. 

OUTPOST will also present an off-site group show general studies at OUTPOST Studios, curated by artist Ryan Gander, himself one of the featured artists in British Art Show 8 and contemporary art critic and editor Jonathan P Watts, resulting in a fully-functioning Airbnb with eight different rooms, featuring the work of eight artists. 

Media Visits

VisitNorwich is offering this rare opportunity to experience Norwich's vibrant art scene IN 24 HOURS with the opportunity to immerse yourself in art by staying in one of the artist designed Airbnb rooms. The rooms are limited in that they are available for only two select dates (8 rooms on each date) 2nd July and 16th July. To truly get the art experience media need to book their room directly through Airbnb – rooms cost £18 for one night and can only be booked for a one night stay. 

Offer includes rail tickets with Abellio Greater Anglia from London Liverpool Street to Norwich direct and evening meal plus free entry to all the exhibitions currently on in Norwich including British Art Show 8 at Norwich Castle and Norwich University of the Arts and the Forum and OUTPOST Member's Show and general studies. We can also provide tickets for two exhibitions at the world-class Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia ALBERTO GIACOMETTI: A LINE THROUGH TIME and Henri Bresson-Cartier: Paris.

Please note: While everything else can be organized by VisitNorwich – booking for one of the 8 fully functioning Airbnb rooms featuring the work of 8 different artists has to be done directly through Airbnb – rooms cost £18 for one night and can only be booked for a one night stay. The rooms are available only on two dates 2nd July and 16th July. Rooms accommodate strictly one person with the exception of room 8 which has two beds.

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13652760?s=IVLGobh7 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260414?s=YmgUOMqT 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260216?checkin=16-07-2016&checkout=17-07-2016&s=XuZuGL3L 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260597?s=YmgUOMqT 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260567?s=YmgUOMqT 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260649?s=YmgUOMqT 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260533?checkin=16-07-2016&checkout=17-07-2016&s=XuZuGL3L 

·         https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13260621?s=YmgUOMqT 

Notes to editors 

To discuss press trips and/or for more information please contact PR Manager at VisitNorwich, melanie.cook@visitnorwich.co.uk or call 01603 727939.

CONTEMPORARY ART IN NORWICH:

BRITISH ART SHOW 8:

Part of Hayward Touring's comprehensive exhibition programme, designed to showcase and celebrate the country's leading role in the international art scene, The British Art Show is a five-yearly exhibition. For its eighth incarnation 42 established and emerging contemporary artists are represented and the show features more than 100 works – many of which were commissioned or made especially for the exhibition.

Norwich is the third venue of British Art Show 8's tour and curators Anna Colin and Lydia Yee, together with curators from both Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Norwich University of the Arts, have devised a special presentation for the City.

This, together with works, which have been developed over the run of the exhibition tour to date, plus totally new additions, makes the Norwich showing unique and distinct from previous versions in Leeds and Edinburgh.

All the artists were selected based on their work and significant contribution to the British and international art scene over the past five years.

OUPOST:

OUTPOST contemporary art gallery in Norwich has organized two exhibitions to run concurrently with the show, curated partly in response to the British Art Show's arrival in the city.

OUTPOST is an artist-run gallery, based in Norwich, committed to the uncompromising presentation of contemporary art. Since its founding in 2004, OUTPOST has established itself as a leading centre for artist activity in the east of England, currently producing a core programme of 7 exhibitions per year. Alongside these, OUTPOST facilitates a programme of offsite projects, events and produces a series of artists editions.

OUTPOST Members' Show

22 June - 31 July 2016

Curated by Prof Lynda Morris and Chris Rawcliffe

Thursday – Sunday 12-6pm (Open to press on Tuesday 28 June)

OUTPOST, 10b Wensum Street, Norwich, NR3 1HR

The members' show this year is curated by Professor Lynda Morris, Professor of Curation and Art History at Norwich University of the Arts and Chris Rawcliffe, a London-based Curator, and Director of Project/Number. He is a former OUTPOST committee member. 

general studies

in collaboration with OUTPOST

Service provided by Jonathan P Watts and Ryan Gander

23 June – 24 July (Open to press on Tuesday 28 June)

Friday – Sunday 12-6pm

Gildengate House, Upper Green Lane, Norwich, NR3 1AX

Outpost present an off-site group show general studies at OUTPOST Studios, curated by British Art Show 8 artist Ryan Gander and contemporary art critic and editor Jonathan P Watts, resulting in a fully-functioning Airbnb with eight different rooms, featuring the work of eight artists. 

Artists: Simeon Barclay, Melissa Burn, Doug Bowen, Alice Chandler, Isaac Clarke, Harry Meadley, Liv Preston, Alfie Strong

For a comprehensive round-up of all the art news and many visual art events taking place in Norwich and across Norfolk please see www.artinnorwich.org.uk

About VisitNorwich

•           VisitNorwich is the destination management organisation for the Norwich area. It is a private/public sector partnership and a not for profit organisation whose sole focus is to promote and develop the destination and support its members through collaborative marketing, research, information and business advice.

•           For the benefit of the area as a whole, VisitNorwich strives to achieve: better profile and reputation locally, nationally and internationally; increased visitor spend; more investment; more jobs and better quality experiences for both visitors and residents.

•           Tourism is worth around £700 million per year to the Norwich area and supports over 12,000 jobs (Economic Impact of Tourism, Norwich - 2014).

For further information on Norwich and its surrounding area visit www.visitnorwich.co.uk, www.cityofstories.co.uk | @visitnorwich #cityofstories #visitnorwich | Instagram Norwich_cityofstories