Pal Svensson Exhibition at the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery

May 25 2007 By The Journal

An exhibition of work by Pal Svensson, the artist who has developed proposals for the Durham Sky Bowl, will take place at the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery from the June 9 until July 15.

The exhibition will feature drawings, photographs and maquettes of previous work by the artist, small-scale sculptures in the gallery and larger-scale pieces within the grounds of the museum. The exhibition also contains information about the Durham Sky Bowl project.

Much of the artist's work in the exhibition is produced in Diabase, a dense high-quality, completely black Swedish stone. This allows Svensson to play with the dualities between light and dark, contrasting rough unfinished surfaces with those that are polished to a smooth, high-gloss finish that reflects light.

Svensson is constantly inspired by the forms, shapes and surfaces found in nature itself. Like many 20th Century sculptors, the artist has pursued connections with ancient megalithic cultures, the Stone Age and past geological eras.

Svensson's work is in the permanent collections of the Customs House in South Shields, Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, the Farum Arena in Copenhagen and the Postal Office in Stockholm. The DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery would like to offer Culture Club members the chance to attend a special preview event on Thursday, June 7, from 7pm. Members will also have the opportunity to meet Svensson, who will be in attendance and available to answer questions on his work.

If you would like to attend, please call Rachel on (0191) 201-6369 or email rachel.suddart@ncjmedia.co.uk with your name, membership number, contact telephone number and the number of places you require (max of two per card). Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

The exhibition is part-funded by the Northern Way as part of its £4.4m investment into the Welcome to the North programme, which will see a small number of iconic artworks positioned at key gateways across the North. This innovative £10m overall programme has been developed with Arts Council England, the three northern Cultural Consortia and other partners. For more information on the exhibition, contact James Lowther on (0191) 370-8820 or email james.lowther@durham.gov.uk For more information about the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery, contact DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery, Aykley Heads, Durham, DH1 5TU, tel (0191) 3840-2214 or visit www.durham.gov.uk/dli

The DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery is open every day from 10am to 5pm.