Touchstones wins major new object at COLLECT 2012

Yvonne Hardman with Super Jumbo Nigella, Wave by Junko Mori

Touchstones Rochdale one of the five museums that have made major new acquisitions for their collections through the £75,000 Art Fund COLLECT scheme. Now in its fifth year, the Art Fund COLLECT scheme fund was split between Touchstones Rochdale, National Museum of Scotland, Whitworth Art Gallery, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Museums Sheffield.

Each museum was represented by a curator who attended a special preview of COLLECT, Europe’s leading fair for international contemporary objects held at the Saatchi Gallery in London. In one hour each curator explored the fair and selected the object they most wanted to see added to their museum’s collection, finally defending their choice in a presentation to a panel of experts. Link4Life’s Art Gallery Officer Yvonne Hardman was one of the successful curators, with The Art Fund agreeing to purchase her selected piece ‘Propogation Project: Super Jumbo Nigella, Wave’ by Junko Mori outright.

‘Super Jumbo Nigella, Wave’ by Junko Mori is the artist’s largest work to date, made in forged mild steel sculpture coated in wax. This intricate object evokes both floral imagery and wave-like motion. With no definitive orientation or setting, the object has a wide array of display possibilities. The work’s strikingly bleak palette connects to the museum’s collecting interest in uses and absences of colour in contemporary craft, while the imagery has a context within the museum’s fine art collection of landscapes and seascapes.

Speaking about the new object Yvonne Hardman said: “Being part of Art Fund COLLECT has brought increased awareness of Link4Life’s Arts & Heritage Service nationally and put Touchstones Rochdale on the map. I’m thrilled to have been successful in gaining The Art Fund’s support for the addition of this major piece of contemporary craft to the borough’s collection. I’ve been following Junko Mori’s career for a number of years and can’t wait to put this astonishing artwork on display for our visitors.”

Link4Life’s Head of Arts and Heritage, Julian Jefferson added: “Yvonne’s achievement illustrates the tremendous talent in Link4Life. Yvonne has done not only Rochdale Borough but Link4Life proud. This piece by Junko Mori is a tremendous new acquisition for the collection and we are grateful to The Art Fund for their support.”

Stephen Deuchar, Director of the Art Fund, said: “The presentations from the curators were all impressive and persuasive. It is a privilege to be supporting the winners and their institutions and we are delighted with the extraordinary acquisitions they selected.”

“The Art Fund Collect scheme has again illuminated the ambition and curatorial talent within UK institutions. We feel the winning objects will greatly enhance the collections they have been chosen for, and look forward to how the public will respond to them,” said Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director, Crafts Council.