Touchstones Rochdale is showcasing a unique look back at the legacy of the 1980s exhibition programme from Rochdale Art Gallery in “A Tall Order!” exhibition.
Originally led by Jill Morgan, alongside a small and changing team in the 1980s, Rochdale Art Gallery showcased ground-breaking work that commented on major social and political events.
Touchstones Rochdale is presenting many of these works by leading artists in a unique look back in time through its latest exhibition, A Tall Order! – Rochdale Art Gallery in the 1980s. This exhibition celebrates the small, civic gallery in the North West that pioneered dynamic approaches to the function and purpose of a ‘local’ art gallery.
A Tall Order! has been created in collaboration with Touchstones Rochdale and two independent research curators, Derek Horton and Alice Correia, and will take over all four gallery spaces, displaying the trials and tribulations of the decade through these expressive moments of history.
Exploring deep-rooted themes of Work and Labour; Land and our Environment; Rochdale at the Heart of Everything; and Power, Identity, and Representation, A Tall Order! provides a creative nod to the themes of the 80s, and what was known at the time as ‘issues-based’ art.
Derek Horton, co-curator of A Tall Order! said: “There was so much happening during the 1980s, it was a radical time for Britain as it faced major social and political events. The vision for this exhibit was to shine a light on artworks that framed the decade so well, including those that may have caused an uproar at the time.
“Jill Morgan and her team at Rochdale Art Gallery were courageous and groundbreaking in the 80s, and created a space for previously marginalised or excluded artists to articulate their own experiences through a medium they knew best.
“The vision of A Tall Order! was to create an impact of our own through the expressions of art, both past and present, demonstrating that galleries still have the potential to become a tool for social change.”
This unique exhibit will include works shown by well-known artists of the 80s including Terry Atkinson, Sutapa Biswas, Sonia Boyce, Sarah Edge, Susan Hiller, Lubaina Himid, John Hyatt, and Stephen Willats, but will also highlight works from Touchstones Rochdale’s permanent collection, including pieces by William Hogarth and Vanessa Bell.
Sarah Hodgkinson, Senior Curator at Touchstone Rochdale, said: “This is a really important exhibition for Touchstones as it addresses many of the concerns that are still prevalent today. Revisiting Rochdale’s radical programming in the 1980s is a way of regenerating the commitment and ambition that informed it. A Tall Order! reflects the gallery’s future that’s grounded in active dialogue, community engagement and cultural change.
“As much as the exhibition is a homage to the decade of art in the 80s, it also features a younger generation of artists who are exploring similar themes.
“With further support from Arts Council England, it’s enabled newly commissioned work by Lubna Chowdhary, Sarah-Joy Ford and Jade Montserrat, as well as the reconstruction of an important work by the late Donald Rodney.”
A Tall Order is at Touchstones Rochdale from Saturday 4 February 2023 – Saturday 6 May 2023. The exhibition is supported by a grant from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and with funding from Arts Council England and the Friends of Rochdale Art Gallery.
For more details on the exhibition, please visit:
https://www.yourtrustrochdale.
