WAGSTAFF'S

Exhibition

WAGSTAFF'S

18 February - 25 June 2017
18 February - 25 June 2017

WAGSTAFF’S takes as its point of departure a piano and musical instrument dealership of the same name that occupied the current MOSTYN building in the years prior to its being reinstated as an art gallery in the 1970s.

Participating artists: Zarouhie Abdalian, Saâdane Afif, Cory Arcangel, John Baldessari, Simeon Barclay, Alex Bartsch, Jacqueline Bebb, Andrea Büttner, Anne Collier, Claire Fontaine, Mario García Torres, Charles Gershom, Rebecca Gould, Gareth Griffith, Scott King, Adam McEwen, Dave Muller, Fernando Ortega, Hannah Rickards, Torbjørn Rødland, Anri Sala, Fabrice Samyn, Santo Tolone 
and
Historical presentations relating to Wagstaff's store and the town of Llandudno

Originally based in Manchester, Wagstaff’s relocated to number 1 Vaughan Street in Llandudno in the early 1940s after the city store was demolished during World War II, and in 1946 it moved to number 12, site of MOSTYN, Wales today. The establishment of music shops such as Wagstaff’s in the late 19th century reflected the high regard in which music was held in terms of entertainment inside and outside the family home. Many of these shops have now gone out of business due to changes in both technology and family leisure pursuits.

WAGSTAFF’S considers the long-standing connection between music and art, and records an interpretation from today’s perspective. A number of the artists featured in the exhibition have previously appeared together in shows which have surveyed the linkage between the genre of music and the field of art. In this sense, the exhibition suggests some of music’s most embraced and debated facets; the cover version, the copy, and the culture of bootlegging.

The exhibition is presented within a format made up of four categories, taking inspiration from independent music record shops, which would categorise music by genre and which, along with musical instrument shops, have decreased in number. The categories are designed to give structure to the wide array of approaches and usages of music in the visual arts, many of which are presented in the exhibition. The format also allows opportunities for overlaps and mixes to be played out between the categories, and the artworks presented within.

 

VIDEO: MOSTYN Visual Arts Programme Curator, Adam Carr and MOSTYN Engagement Manager, Jane Matthews speak about 'Wagstaff's' part of the 'History Series' of exhibitions.

 

This exhibition is part of MOSTYN’s History Series* which, since 2013, has examined the heritage of MOSTYN’s building, the town of Llandudno and links further afield. The series has presented historical artefacts and images alongside works by contemporary artists, thus forming a dialogue between past and present. This exhibition is curated by Adam Carr, (Visual Arts Programme Curator, MOSTYN), with historical research by Jane Matthews (Engagement Manager/Research, MOSTYN) and Richard Cynan Jones (Operations and Facitilies/Research, MOSTYN).

About the History Series:
Through a combination of historical texts, objects and images, and works by contemporary artists, each exhibition observes a specific period in the building’s history. The intention is to offer the opportunity for the public to engage with MOSTYN’s past, and for local people to explore their own history, while MOSTYN’s history is presented on a national and international stage. The building’s former uses are taken as starting points from which to explore new avenues for the making and presentation of exhibitions, and for the engagement of audiences. 

Supported by: 

The History Series of exhibitions is funded by The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Wales, and Heritage Lottery Fund. 

 

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