Simon Bartram exhibition heads to Hartlepool Art Gallery at the end of January

Simon Bartram’s exhibition “Under The Vapour Trails” opens at Hartlepool Art Gallery on Saturday, January, 29 and will run until Saturday, April 23.

The free exhibition centres around paintings and drawings of post-industrial men who live in real and imaginary towns and cities.

Simon said: “I am so looking forward to showing my work at Hartlepool Art Gallery.

“It’s such a privilege to have an exhibition in such a beautiful setting and I’m excited to engage with the town and its art enthusiasts.”

Born in Jarrow and raised in Hebburn, both in South Tyneside, Simon was said he was brought up around ‘”sturdy” characters who populated the pubs and football terraces.

He has had major success as an author in his career, including being a runner-up for the Mother Goose Award in 1999 for Pinocchio and for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2002 for Man on the Moon: A Day in the Life of Bob.

In 2004 Man on the Moon was voted "best illustrated book to read aloud" by a panel of Blue Peter viewers and also named Blue Peter Book Awards Book of the Year.

Georgina Ascroft, Museum and Gallery Manager for Hartlepool Borough Council said: “We are delighted to host Simon Bartram’s first solo show at Hartlepool Art Gallery.

"Simon’s arresting and expressive portraiture represents the changing nature of masculinity in the 21st century.

“Visitors will recognise many of the local caricatures that feature in Simon’s work and for a brief moment the viewer will be immersed in the spaces between pubs and football grounds, where men might find themselves walking along the coastal path or busy street to the next bolt hole, into a destination all of their own.

“His sitters stand still, alone and enigmatic, sometimes faintly comical and absurd, filling their frames with their bulk as physical manifestation of their pent up and unheard stories.”

As part of the exhibition, Hartlepool Art Gallery has also created a new family-friendly play space based on Simon’s award-winning children’s books.

Hartlepool Art Gallery is in Church Square and is open 10am – 5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays. Entry is free.

For more information call (01429) 869706 or visit www.hartlepoolartgallery.co.uk

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