British Art Show 8

A Hayward touring exhibition organised in collaboration with galleries in Leeds, Edinburgh, Norwich and Southampton.

The British Art Show is a national touring exhibition that provides a vital overview of some of the most exciting contemporary art produced in the UK. Organised by Hayward Touring at Southbank Centre, London, and taking place every five years, it introduces a broad public to a new generation of artists. After opening in Leeds Art Gallery, British Art Show 8 will tour to multiple venues across Edinburgh, Norwich and Southampton over the course of 15 months.

Curated by Anna Colin and Lydia Yee, British Art Show 8 features the work of 42 artists who have made a significant contribution to art in this country over the past five years. The result of the curators' research across the UK and beyond is a wide-ranging exhibition that encompasses sculpture, film, video-installation, photography, painting, performance and design. 26 of the artists have created new works especially for the exhibition, making this the most ambitious British Art Show to date.

A central concern of British Art Show 8 is the changing role and status of the object at a time of increasing convergence between the real and the virtual. In response to this condition, artists have developed new ways of thinking about and approaching materiality. While some revisit traditional craft-based skills or make use of industrial techniques, others use data as a starting point for their work, investigating the material conditions of our digital existence. Within the exhibition, ordinary objects—a car, a hard drive or an egg—are considered as archaeological finds or narrative devices. Operating within a complex web of relationships, these objects reveal new ways of being, thinking and acting in the world.

Åbäke, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Caroline Achaintre, John Akomfrah & Trevor Mathison, Aaron Angell, Pablo Bronstein, Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Andrea Büttner, Alexandre da Cunha, Nicolas Deshayes, Benedict Drew, Simon Fujiwara, Martino Gamper, Ryan Gander, Melanie Gilligan, Anthea Hamilton, Will Holder, Alan Kane, Mikhail Karikis, Linder, Rachel Maclean, Ahmet Öğüt (with Liam Gillick, Susan Hiller, Goshka Macuga), Yuri Pattison, Ciara Phillips, Charlotte Prodger, Laure Prouvost, Magali Reus, James Richards, Eileen Simpson & Ben White, Daniel Sinsel, Cally Spooner, Patrick Staff, Imogen Stidworthy, Hayley Tompkins, Jessica Warboys, Stuart Whipps, Bedwyr Williams, Jesse Wine, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Anna Colin is co-founder and co-director of Open School East and Associate Curator at Fondation Galeries Lafayette, Paris.

Lydia Yee is Chief Curator at Whitechapel Gallery.

The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated publication designed by Fraser Muggeridge studio, featuring essays by the curators and roundtable discussions with artists including Andrea Büttner, Ryan Gander, Patrick Staff and Ciara Phillips. More information here.

This year, the British Art Show benefits from the exceptional support of Arts Council England's Strategic Touring Programme which will enable new digital platforms, community engagement and artists' projects outside the gallery.

Touring dates and venues:

Leeds 9 October 2015–10 January 2016 Leeds Art Gallery

Edinburgh 13 February–8 May 2016 Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh

Norwich 24 June–4 September 2016 Norwich University of the Arts and Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery

Southampton 8 October 2016–14 January 2017 John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton and Southampton City Art Gallery