International Art Fair and Cake Stall

Blue Oyster International Art Fair & Cake Stall

Fiona Amundsen Teresa Andrew Dan Arps Hannah and Aaron Beehre Lisa Benson Michelle Beevors Mladin Bizumic 
Ali Bramwell Liz Bryce Bekah Carran
Iain Cheesman Ruth Cleland Jim Cooper Scott Eady Violet Fagan Amanda Floyd Phillip James Frost Lloyd Godman 
Di Halstead Cathy Helps Don Hunter 
Paul Johns Douglas Kelaher Gregor Kregar Bridie Lonie Rainy McMaster Gary McMillan Michael Morley Gala Mydlova’-Kirke 
Karin van Roosmalen Warren Olds and Nicola Farquar Seraphine Pick Ana Terry Erin Templeton Fleur Yorston Jane Venis

Blue Oyster Gallery project

1 June - 19 June

What is different about Blue Oyster’s birthday celebrations this year is that the exhibition is a fundraiser for the development of a ‘New Media’ suite including data projection and related technology. There is more and more challenging and exciting digital and cross disciplinary work being made and the gallery needs to expand its equipment or miss out on hosting some fabulous contemporary projects.

Artists who all have a history with the Blue Oyster in one way or another have donated the work on show with extraordinary generosity, specifically to help the gallery improve its equipment and facilities. Most have been part of our exhibition programme, the few who have not are regulars at our opening events, all are actively part of creating the culture of discourse and experimentation that is at the core of what this gallery was established to foster.

As a general rule the work that is shown at the Blue Oyster cannot be considered mainstream and many of the artists who show here practice the business of art in a way that is very incompatible with the idea of producing a product for sale. Some of the works in this show are smart canny and irreverent responses to that conundrum, where the artists have used the problem posed as a challenge to produce comment and discussion. Other works illustrate the consummate ease with which these arts professionals surf between the many contexts of contemporary art. Where there is no contradiction only interesting works that would be at home in any art space as long as it celebrated intelligence and style.

We extend our thanks to the contributing artists, listed above, and warmly acknowledge the strong gesture of support that they have made by sending us these quality works.

It has to be acknowledged that innovation in the arts is significantly linked historically to the ways that artists have bent technology to their use, making surprising discoveries in the process. The Blue Oyster receives project applications every year that require technical support that we are currently unable to provide…as a gallery that prides itself on supporting innovative work we are becoming dismayed by missing out on showing an increasing number of interesting technology based projects. We would like to respond to the growing demand from artists working with new media by providing another venue for their work. (What is new media? We have loosely defined it as work that explores digital and moving image as well as sound through the use of new technologies.) All the funds raised from this event will be used to develop the Blue Oyster Gallery as a venue for high quality and thoughtful work.