Turn Back Tide, by acclaimed artist Aikaterini Gegisian is built on Tees Valley inspiration.
As the winner of the third Castlegate ART commission, Gegisian’s large scale work, which is over 38 metres wide, is sited on the prominent riverside location of Castlegate.
This commission is a collaboration between Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art; Ellandi and Angelo, Gordon & Co, the owners of Castlegate Shopping Centre; and Stockton Borough Council.
Aikaterini Gegisian was proposed, along with four other artists, by Miguel Amado, Senior Curator, and Giles Maffett, Assistant Curator, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, to produce a work for Castlegate ART.
They, along with the other commissioning organisations representatives, Jan Doherty, Arts Development Manager and Reuben Kench, Head of Culture & Leisure, Stockton Borough Council, and Karen Eve, General Manager, Castlegate Shopping Centre, came to the conclusion the most suited artist for this commission was Aikaterini Gegisian.
Gegisian said: “I am thrilled to be invited to exhibit as part of Castlegate ART, and delighted to have the opportunity to respond to such an inspiring area.
“I live and work in the Tees Valley, and so it is with great pride that I can make my own contribution to the region by creating a work for such a prominent site, and to bring art beyond the gallery into the public realm.”
Senior Curator Miguel Amado commented: “Part of our vision is to take a leading role in addressing current issues within politics, economics and culture, and to contribute to change.
“Working with artists operating locally as well as showing relevant work within the wider community is part of this aim, so that art is accessible to everyone. Aikaterini Gegisian was commissioned for this project given her ongoing examination of themes of identity, history and memory, and her current research into the Tees Valley’s economic heritage.”
Castlegate ART provides a new art platform for Teesside. The name of the initiative is the combination of ‘Castlegate’ with ‘Art’, suggesting art for and at Castlegate Shopping Centre.
The commissioners are keen for the project to have a community oriented focus, and situate it with local people. They also want to widen the scope of the commissioned artists, who may work with all sorts of media and engage with ideas rather than just studio-based activity.
The artwork is installed on the outer wall of Castlegate on Riverside Road. It is best viewed from Riverside Road, across the Millennium Footbridge adjacent from the shopping centre. Find out more about Turn Back Tide in the video below…
