Artangel has pioneered a new way of collaborating with artists and engaging audiences in an ambitious series
of highly successful commissions since the early 1990s. We’ve created a reputation for producing work that people really want to see and for which they often travel miles to experience.
This commitment to the production of powerful new
ideas by exceptional artists has been at the forefront of changing attitudes and growing expectations amongst both artists and audiences.
By producing the best art, in the best possible
conditions, Artangel has become part of the cultural debate, both in the UK and abroad. A pathfinder in the process of achieving a deeper understanding of the world. Which is what art always offers those willing to take up the challenge.
Beyond the white walls of the gallery, the black box of the theatre or the darkened interior of the cinema, there are other forms of expression where the relationship between artist and place is of primary importance. This is a relationship which Artangel actively explores in events where context and content are often indistinguishable. An artist’s response to the qualities and conditions of a particular place is central to the development of a project. And finding the right place is an integral part of the commissioning process we undertake.
“Artangel has drawn sizeable audiences to places that have never been on the arts map… they are truly on the side of the angels” The Independent
Artangel doesn’t set agendas for artists: rather we
choose to work with filmmakers, writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers and performers who can respond to the unique opportunity an Artangel project
can offer by taking their work a step further and making something happen that otherwise wouldn’t. For Rachel Whiteread, for example, the chance to cast a whole house in 1993 was a logical progression from her
casting of smaller domestic spaces. That the resulting work was one of the most powerful and controversial public sculptures ever seen in England could not have been anticipated.
Above all, Artangel endeavours to respect the singular chemistry of the commissioning process so that artists, art forms and audiences can together explore new and uncharted territory - to give a commission the breathing space it requires. This patient, collaborative and open-ended development of projects has, in our experience, been crucial to their success.
“Some of the most ambitious and memorable
work of the last decade…”
Time Out
Rachel Whiteread
House, 1993 – 94
Matthew Barney, Cremaster 4, 1995
The Missing Voice,
1999–present
Tony Oursler,
The Influence Machine, 2000
Michael Landy
Break Down, 2001
Jeremy Deller
The Battle of Orgreave, 2001