Spring 2016

Joachim Koester: The Other Side of the Sky 4 February – 8 May 2016

Turner Contemporary presents the first UK solo exhibition of work by Danish artist Joachim Koester, whose atmospheric films, installations and photography track the boundaries of the unknown, where fact and fiction crossover. Koester's subtle yet sensuous works explore the medium of film.

Presenting a comprehensive series of works by Koester across the first floor gallery spaces, this will be Turner Contemporary's largest film exhibition to date. Two new 16mm films will be showcased alongside works produced by the artist in the past 10 years, many of which will be shown in the UK for the first time.

Central to the exhibition is a new film inspired by Koester's research into JMW Turner, The Other Side of the Sky (2015). This film explores Turner's depiction and experience of storms via the analogy of psychedelic trips. Relating to surrealism and the 20th century mescaline experiments by Henri Michaux, it continues Koester's interest in both physical journeys and psychological exploration. The Other Side of the Sky will be shown within a specially-built structure reminiscent of an abandoned shack, offering glimpses to a group of late watercolours by JMW Turner, which will be hung alongside it.

Joachim Koester is organised in collaboration with Fórum Eugénio de Almeida, Portugal and curated by Filipa Oliveira and Turner Contemporary

Leise Wilson: 365 Days  4 February – 10 March 2016

Leise Wilson's watercolours demonstrate her fascination with the outdoors, open spaces and blue skies. Many of her works are inspired by her family visits to the Kent coast and the unique light and colours of this landscape. In 365 Days, Leise Wilson recorded the view of the sky through the same window pane every day for a whole year, capturing the natural rhythms of light across the seasons. Wilson's watercolours are often large but these small images, delicately painted onto squares of tissue paper, flutter in invisible air currents created by the viewer suggesting the movement of clouds in the sky. This work will be shown in Turner Contemporary's Clore Learning Studio.

Summer 2016

Seeing Round Corners 21 May – 25 September 2016

In summer 2016, Turner Contemporary presents the first UK exhibition to explore how artists have responded to the phenomenon of the circle, the disc or the sphere. This exhibition explores the ways in which artists have used this universal and recurring form, and the very idea of 'roundness'. Seeing Round Corners showcases more than 50 works, presenting a variety of processes and media including painting, sculpture, film and photography, alongside design objects and historical artefacts.

Whether in the form of a disc, a sphere, a void or an arc, the circle is central to our experience of the natural world and to artists' depictions of nature. The exhibition includes works by JMW Turner, whose swirling, circular vortex of paint evoked the power of natural forces in his late seascapes and history paintings. The majority of works in the exhibition are from the 20th century onwards, exploring the circle through the prism of modern and contemporary artistic practice, with works by Barry Flanagan, Anish Kapoor, Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, David Batchelor, Richard Long and Ben Nicholson, amongst others.

Drawing on a wealth of concepts and subjects from the atomic and the cosmic, geometry and optics, to time, rotation and visual perception, Seeing Round Corners will also include a selection of objects and images from world cultures, religions and history such as scientific instruments, technological images and works from spiritual and mystical traditions.

Seeing Round Corners is curated by artists David Ward and Jonathan Parsons with Turner Contemporary.

Autumn 2016

Turner and Colour  8 October 2016 – 8 January 2017

Following the success of Turner and the Elements in 2012, Turner Contemporary presents a major exhibition of work by JMW Turner and the fullest survey of the artist's watercolours of Margate yet to be shown at the gallery.

Turner and Colour is the first exhibition to examine this fundamental theme in relation to Turner, exploring the familiar outline of his life and art in a new way. Colour is the essence of JMW Turner's work, and his distinctive, sometimes eccentric use of vibrant colour was central to his success as an artist. Featuring more than 70 works in both oil and watercolour, the exhibition highlights Turner's engagement with developments in colour theory and his adoption and exploitation of new materials. Beginning with the more traditional 'Old Master' aesthetic that Turner quickly matched and then superseded, the exhibition charts the impact made by the artist's experimental techniques.

Turner and Colour is curated by art historian Ian Warrell and will be exhibited at the Hôtel de Caumont, Aix-en-Province from 3 May – 19 September 2016.

Sunley Gallery

Rose Wylie  January – April 2016
To open 2016 in our ground floor Sunley Gallery space, Turner Contemporary is showing a group of paintings and drawings by celebrated Kent-based artist Rose Wylie.

Wylie's bold, large-scale figurative paintings draw on ancient and folk art, such as Mexican street art and contemporary Egyptian Hajj painting, as well as art history and film. Their deliberate awkwardness, closer to the unselfconscious art of children, includes a collage-like approach in which mistakes are simply covered up with patches of cut-up canvas or paper. This display – the first time the Sunley gallery has been used for painting – will focus on recent works from her ongoing Film Notes, a series of paintings inspired by remembered images from contemporary films. An avid and discerning film fan, her recent paintings and drawings have paid homage to directors as diverse as François Ozon, Werner Herzog, Claudia Llosa and Quentin Tarantino, whose films she particularly enjoys painting from because of their 'glamour and theatricality'.

Rose Wylie was born in Kent, where she still lives and works. She studied at Folkestone and Dover School of Art (1952-6) and the Royal College of Art, London (1979-81) and now, in her early eighties, is enjoying renewed interest in her work in the UK and internationally with recent exhibitions at the Jerwood, Hastings (2012) and Tate Britain (BP Spotlight, 2013), as well as winning the prestigious John Moores painting prize in 2014. In 2010, Wylie was described by Germaine Greer as 'Britain's hottest new artist'.

News of Turner Contemporary's fifth anniversary celebrations and a new Sunley Gallery commission will be announced in January 2016.

Turner Contemporary's Studio Group commission  November 2016 – May 2017

Turner Contemporary presents its fourth new commission for its Sunley Gallery with a major new work by Nottingham based artist Kashif Nadim Chaudry. This commission has been selected and curated by Turner Contemporary's Studio Group: a group of local artists and makers who first came together in 2012 to help produce Turner Contemporary's first Sunley Gallery commission, Maria Nepomuceno's Breathing Time (2012). The Studio Group will work with Turner Contemporary to lead on the commission of a new artwork by Chaudry, working closely with the artist to creatively develop and make the work.

Learning Programme

Learning is at the heart of all activity at Turner Contemporary, which aims to transform the way that adults, children and young people see, think and learn through visual art.

Paul Hamlyn, Art Inspiring Change  January 2016 – July 2017

In early 2016, Turner Contemporary will launch a unique and innovative schools project supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The project will enable primary school children to take the lead in order to transform their town and community.

Art Inspiring Change will work with 80 pupils from four Margate primary schools to each regenerate a disused area, within close proximity to their school, through the creation of four new installations. Supported by teachers, parents, artists, a philosopher and Turner Contemporary staff, these children will lead the regeneration of sites in their own neighbourhoods, using their enhanced leadership, communication and negotiation skills to inspire others in their community.

The project will empower young people, integrate generations and bring together school, home and Turner Contemporary. Art Inspiring Change will foster a positive community where arts are valued and adults better understand and support children's visions and ideas. A series of events will launch the project in January 2016 and a town-wide public celebration will mark its completion in July 2017. Turner Contemporary is delighted to announce that Southeastern is the lead project sponsor for Art Inspiring Change, supporting Margate and East Kent's regeneration through its generosity and time.

2016 Campaign Sponsor

Turner Contemporary is delighted that Southeastern are the gallery's lead campaign sponsor for 2016, building upon their existing partnership and widening the impact of Margate and East Kent's regeneration.

New Chair

Turner Contemporary welcomes a new Chair in December 2015. Stephen Sunnucks will join the organisation.

Under the leadership of prior Chair John Kampfner, with Director Victoria Pomery OBE, the gallery has grown from a visual arts organisation with no permanent building, to one of the most impressive and distinctive galleries on the national and international cultural landscape. The gallery has created confidence in East Kent and made a significant economic impact.

Until last December, Steve was Global President of Gap Inc. While in charge of Gap, he extended its market from three countries to over 50. His track record as a visionary commercial leader is hugely impressive. He has worked with a range of major brands including Dorothy Perkins, New Look, Phase Eight and Fat Face. Steve has Kent roots and an international reach. He lives in Sevenoaks; his family and his wife's family live in Deal. His family is from Gravesend and he has a particular affection for East Kent.

Turner Contemporary looks forward to entering this next phase of its development with the energy and expertise Stephen will bring.

All information correct at time of going to press. For information and images please contact: Poppy Andrews, Communications Assistant, Turner Contemporary pandrews@turnercontemporary.org +44 (0)1843 233006

Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate, Kent CT9 1HG +44 (0)1843 233000 turnercontemporary.org Registered charity number 1129974

Notes to Editors

Turner Contemporary

Turner Contemporary has led the regeneration of Margate and East Kent, already welcoming over 1.8 million visits and contributing over £41 million into the local economy through tourism and inward investment. The vision of the organisation is Art Inspiring Change, using collaboration, learning, ambition and transformation to effect change, inspire new ways of working and for everyone to have access to world-class art.

•  In copy please refer to Turner Contemporary and not 'The Turner Contemporary'
•  Gallery opening times: Monday: Closed, Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 6pm (spring/summer), 10am – 5pm (autumn/winter)
•  Admission to the gallery is free
•  Address: Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate, CT9 1HG
•  Information: + 44 (0) 1843 233000, turnercontemporary.org
•  Turner Contemporary is a charity, receiving public funding from Kent County Council and Arts Council England.

Fórum Eugénio de Almeida, Portugal

Fórum Eugénio de Almeida, Évora was renovated through the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation's urban regeneration initiative. Fórum Eugénio de Almeida opened in 2013 as a space for the promotion of artistic and cultural actions guided by social responsibility and sustainable practices, committed to a multidisciplinary, instructive and inclusive programme in the form of exhibitions, with a particular focus on contemporary art, and the organisation of performance projects and educational programmes.

Danish Art Abroad

The Danish Arts Foundation wishes to promote the visibility of Danish contemporary art in the international art scene by supporting artists' travel, accommodation and transport of works in connection with the exhibition of Danish contemporary art outside Denmark. Hôtel de Caumont, Aix-en-Province The Caumont – Art Center is a new cultural institution, belonging to the cultural operator Culturespaces that opened in May 2015 in Aix-en-Provence. It presents two exhibitions a year: the summer exhibition is dedicated to a major artist, and the winter exhibition to an important collection. The Caumont – Art Center opened with Canaletto – Rome, Venice, London (6 May – 13 September 2015), the first monographic exhibition on Canaletto in France. From 29 October 2015 to 13 March 2016, it will present The Fabulous Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein with paintings by Cranach, Raphaël, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Hubert Robert and Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Culturespaces is in charge of Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris and many other monuments in France.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Paul Hamlyn Foundation is an independent funder; helping people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives. The Foundation has a particular interest in supporting young people and a strong belief in the importance of the arts.

Southeastern

Southeastern runs train services into London from Kent and East Sussex, operating over 2000 trains a day, carrying more than 640,000 passengers a day, serving 176 stations and covering 540-miles of railway infrastructure. Southeastern is owned by Govia, a joint venture between the Go-Ahead Group (65 per cent) and Keolis (35 per cent). Govia is the most enduring partnership between transport operators delivering rail franchises in this country. It is the UK's busiest rail operator, responsible for 28.7 per cent of UK passenger rail journeys through its four rail companies, Southern, Southeastern, Govia Thameslink Railway and London Midland. Further information on Govia is available at: www.govia.info. Go-Ahead Group plc is one of the UK's leading providers of passenger transport services operating in the bus, rail and aviation services sectors. Keolis is a French-based operator of transport services in 13 countries worldwide and is owned by SNCF, AXA Private Equity, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, and Keolis management.

British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation and includes books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, photographs, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Up to 10 million people visit the British Library website - www.bl.uk - every year where they can view up to 4 million digitised collection items and over 40 million pages.