Chester Contemporary is a new visual arts event curated by Castlefield Gallery’s artist patron Ryan Gander!
Inspired by the theme ‘Centred on the Periphery’, international and Chester-based artists, emerging talent, and the city’s people have been invited to make and show work in Chester’s unique places and spaces, bringing new art to the city’s historic streets!

Limited capacity – Click HERE to book your tickets before Friday 22 September, 12pm.
Cost: £25 + £2.80 booking fee (all charges are inclusive of VAT).

Programme of the day:

The afternoon tour will begin at Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces: Chester with a look at the University of Chester MA fine art show before moving next door where we are also hosting an enigmatic, multi-layered installation by Fiona Banner, DISARM (2023). We will hear from Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press in-conversation with Sarah Fisher (Open Eye Gallery’s Director) discussing their installation which makes reference to Chester’s military history with a ‘runway’ occupied by aircraft parts, helicopter blades and dismembered mannequins wearing Banner’s collection of military inspired costumes. 

We will then visit several venues across Chester’s city centre including the grounds of Chester Cathedral where will see artist William Lang’s installation Crop (2023). In the Old Chester Market Delivery Depot, we will find a mesmerising installation inspired by the industrial sounds and materials of artist Hannah Perry’s youth, growing up in Chester. At the Grosvenor Museum (built in 1885-6) we will visit Mnemosyne (2010), by John Akomfrah a haunting exploration of memory, myth and migration made with a vast array of archival film material that retells the experiences of post-war immigrants. 

Along the way we will explore several public realm works by established artists such as Simeon Barclay, Peter Fischli and David Weiss and Jamie Lomax involving neons, tarpaulins, large scale murals and interventions in shop windows. 

We will end the day over a Cestrian Ya-Ya – a heady mix of white port, brandy, cardamom and orange bitters! The Cestrian Ya-Ya is a Ryan Gander special that you will get to try at an invite only event we will be taking you to, to close the day.

Meeting point: Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces: Chester (The former Topshop unit), Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Eastgate St, Chester, CH1 1LE

The tour will finish for 6pm in Chester city centre.

Image: Rage Fluids, 2018. © Hannah Perry.