Theatre and Arts

Local people are starting to get a sneak preview of the largest single gallery space south of Bristol as the hoardings around Penzance’s new Exchange are removed.  In nearby Newlyn, the work continues on the extensive refurbishment and both open with perception-changing exhibitions on the 7th July. 

The gallery space at The Exchange purposely retains the industrial feel of the original Telephone Exchange, contrasting markedly with the refined classical top-lit gallery at Newlyn and other art spaces in the county.  Together, the new and enlarged venues provide artists with an extraordinary repertoire of spaces to work with, allowing them the opportunity to present work on a scale never before presented in the region. 

James Green, Director of The Exchange and Newlyn Art Gallery says, "Now that the hoardings have come down the drama and scale of the building is very apparent.  Still only a handful of people have seen the building’s interior but all have been overwhelmed by the scale and elegance of the building’s exhibition, education, retail and catering areas.  The long glass façade looks just as impressive from the inside as it does from outside."

The Exchange will be a major new contemporary art venue in the centre of Penzance. Opening in July 2007, the publicly funded gallery on the ground floor of the old Telephone Exchange will be managed by Newlyn Art Gallery.

Alongside art books, the Gallery Shop will present leading contemporary art, craft and design. There will also be a bright, vibrant cafe and a dedicated education workshop and resource room with an extensive programme of access and learning.

Launch Exhibitions

July – September 2007

For the inaugural exhibitions, Cornwall based organisation ProjectBase is directing and curating extensive collaborations with seven national and international artists and artists’ collectives. The resulting exhibition entitled ‘social systems’ will be revealed to the public at The Exchange and Newlyn Art Gallery from Saturday 7th July. 

Renowned artists from Denmark, the US, Germany, Scotland, Thailand, Morocco and Argentina have been specially selected and following their Cornish research are currently using a wide variety of media to explore work that reflects on “everyday life” in and around the county.

ProjectBase is directing these artists, including Turner Prize nominee Christine Borland, Regina Maria Möller and Danish collective Superflex, through a series of processes which will create situations in which visitors are invited to participate or perform. The new work refers specifically to Cornwall and the manifestation of the exhibition will respond to the potential of everyday life practices, making it a social sculpture in process.