National Galleries of Scotland

ARTIST ROOMS fits within mima’s mission to present the best of twentieth century and contemporary art to gallery visitors in Middlesbrough. Kounellis is an artist who has much to communicate to the public and mima will consider how his use of vernacular imagery and everyday materials can be related to the specific locality of Middlesbrough.

Performative aspects of Kounellis’s work will provide opportunities for new forms of engagement. For mima’s previous ARTIST ROOMS exhibition, the gallery recruited a group of young advocates for the gallery, called The Modern Times (TMT). For the Kounellis exhibition, the group will play a crucial role in developing every aspect of the exhibition from curating to interpreting and promoting the work.

In addition, mima will be hosting three Creative Apprenticeships in 2012 funded through the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, all young people who will have a keen interest in shaping mima’s programme, focusing on the development and involvement of young people on a wider scale. Together with TMT they will join forces to create a strong voice and presence for young people within the context of Kounellis’s work.