Nottingham Contemporary is an innovative museum space. It is located in the city center, a few steps from the major monuments. And it was a pleasure to visit it – during “The Ghost Bus” events in which I was involved – at the invitation of Dr. Solman Nouman (Head of Finance & Operations) who guided me through the various sectors with Marysia Zipser (ACT), Gabrielle and his assistants. There are three event-exhibitions that will be open until 8 September 2024.

Summer 2024 Programme has opened with the launch of three very special solo exhibitions: a major new commission by Peruvian artist Claudia Martínez Garay, the first UK institutional show by Algerian-German artist Hamid Zénati and a participatory exhibition by multidisciplinary Indonesian artist, musician and social researcher Julian Abraham ‘Togar’.

Solman Nouman says: “In Gallery One we’re excited to be presenting the first solo exhibition in a European institution by multidisciplinary Indonesian artist, musician and social researcher Julian Abraham ‘Togar’. Building on his ongoing project OK Studio (2020 – present), a place for music and events and to imagine the role of public space, ‘Togar’ Will create a participatory environment centred around sound and hosting, with an opportunity for audiences to co-experiment, co-explore, co-imagine and co-produce. In Gallery Two we’re thrilled to be presenting WAKCHAKUNA / We Who Share Everything and Nothing, a major new commission by Peruvian artist Claudia Martínez Garay. Inspired by her Andean heritage, Claudia’s research often begins within European museum collections and archives of ancient cultures where she questions how objects and relics are collected, displayed and categorised, addressing current debates around the originality and repatriation of stolen and looted objects”.

“In galleries 3+4 – Solman says – we’re excited to be presenting Two Steps at a Time, the second ever institutional exhibition of the late Algerian-German artist Hamid Zénati. Hamid was a self-taught artist who began painting when waiting for jobs whilst working as a translator in the 1960s. He worked compulsively across surfaces from textiles, fashion and ceramics to wearable sculptures, using his signature “All-over” style”.

In short, a place worth visiting for those who stop in Nottingham this summer. It is a museum of new conception, a space in which to be provoked about the present (that is, the contemporary) and the future of art and the world. Thanks to Solman Nouman and his staff for the welcome!

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Il Nottingham Contemporary è uno spazio museale innovativo. Si trova nel centro della città, a pochi passi dai maggiori monumenti. Ed è stato un piacere visitarlo su invito del dr. Solman Nouman (Head of Finance & Operation) che mi ha guidato tra i vari settori con Marysia Zipser, Gabrielle e i suoi assistenti. Sono tre le esibizioni-evento che saranno aperte fino all’8 settembre 2024. Molto spettacolare, colorata e coinvolgente la prima retrospettiva dell’algerino-tedesco Hamid Zenati. Una grande sala è poi dedicata all’installazione (We Who Share Everything and Nothing) dell’artista peruviana Claudia Martinez Garay. Infine, puro divertimento – per una meravigliosa esperienza sonora – dove tutti possono scatenarsi a fare musica, nel vero senso della parola. Insomma, uno spazio da visitare per quanti faranno tappa a Nottingham questa estate. Grazie a Solman e al suo staff per l’accoglienza!