Interface home

Interface is an open space for lively debate around the busy business of showing contemporary art.

Follow Interface on Twitter

Have your say

Add or comment on reviews about contemporary art exhibitions, performances, publications or public art. First login or register:

Promote your show

Information on display banner or listings:
Promote your show »

Feedback Feedback

Inappropriate material?
Ideas? Technical issues?
» Feedback to a-n

The editor of Interface is Rosemary Shirley who is an artist and AIR member.
Read Rosemary's biog »

Interface intro C1 B1

With What's on and Reviews unedited, our platform for critical writing, Interface is a focal point around the presentation of contemporary art. Reviewer index and Venue index offer an alternate view on our archive of reviews and signpost writers and venues. Using Interface »

Phil Coy, 'Facade'. Photo: Simon Steven.

Oysters and Pearls

The Whitstable Biennale is about much more than traditional seaside fair
Annabel Dover gives her personal guided tour including bingo and food poisoning Read on »
While Niki Russell foucses on the artists' film programme  Read on »

Sarah Bowker-Jones, 'Dark Arches'. Photo: Stephen King. Courtesy: Ceri Hand Gallery.

Latest Liverpool reviews

This year we are working with galleries in Liverpool to create a body of critical writing around the contemporary art scene in the city. Throughout the year we are offering bursaries to enable writers to visit and review shows taking place at some of the most exciting venues - see the Interface opportunites section (in the right hand column of this page).

The latest set of reviews written by Craig Atkinson feature the Liverpool Art Prize Read on
and If you can hold your breath, a group show at Ceri Hand Gallery Read on »

Anthony Schrag, 'Wrasslin’ (wrestling)'. Photo: Claire Hazelton. performance on Margate Beach, 20 February 2010.

Critical mass: Interface and teaching

Working with Jane Watt over on a-n's Advisors and tutors site, Interface Editor Rosemary Shirley has put together a guide for using Interface with degree students. It outlines how critical writing skills can feed into practice and has some inspirational ideas for session planning go to guide

The guide draws on a review writing workshop Rosemary ran at Goldsmiths last term. Find out more here Read on »

Reviews unedited

Continuously growing as users add and comment on reviews. Includes a-n Magazine reviews from November 2000.
Reviews unedited »
Write a review »

Harminder Singh Judge, 'The Modes of Al-ikseer'. Photo: Benedict Johnson.

What's on

Listing of exhibitions and events around the UK and beyond - a-n subscribers post your own listings for FREE!
What's on »
Post your show»

Special articles archive

Ben Shaffer, ‘This is A Myth’, drawings and sculpture, 2008. Courtesy: Silverman Gallery.

Interface commission articles archive

Alex Hetherington on the San Francisco art scene, Feb 2009 Read on »

Lucinda Holmes on moving herself and her practice to China, Jan 2009 Read on »

Alexandria Clark on Open Dialogues at New Life, Berlin, July 2008 Read on »

Cathy Lomax’s Whitstable biennale blog, June 2008 Read on »

Kristina Johansen’s GI Festival diary, Glasgow, April 2008
Read on »

Davy Smith ‘Broadcasting loud and clear’, AV Festival, North East, March 2008 Read on »

Micheal O’Connell ‘Imperfect things’, Transmedial, Berlin, February 2008 Read on »

Theo Wood, on Emergency3, Portsmouth, Dec 2007 Read on »

Lucinda Holmes on Susan Collis, Nov 2007 Read on »

Chris Brown on What is Critical Writing?, Sept 2007 Read on »

Architectural Fictions

Architectural Fictions

By Adam Kelly

The recent exhibition at the Bracknell Gallery South Hill Park has been an enjoyable one, uncovering the literacy connection between architecture and narrative.It is always intriguing to witness how a gallery and its curators handle composing a Read on »

Fiona Crisp, 'Pump Lodge', archival pigment print from colour transparency, 2005-2006. Courtesy: Matt's Gallery. Photographed in the Boulby mine on the North Yorkshire coast which is the UK's deepest working mine and plays host to a laboratory where an international team are looking for Dark Matter.

Visual Arts in Rural Communities

Visual Arts in Rural Communities

A self-imposed daily framework of gathering data of different sorts through long daily walks formed a strategy for Jilly Morris coming to terms with the contrast of a new environment. From urban living to the vast moorland space and skies of the Read on »

Jilly Morris, 'Here today gone tomorrow (working title)', newspaper, thread, graphite, acrylic, spray paint, 2010. Photo: Jilly Morris. ‘I became fascinated by the idea of building something that held a strong senses of both chronicle and place, something that was steeped in history, but I wanted to build it from only using local newspapers, I wanted to recreate something essentially old with today’s news.  I also wanted to create something that is naturally strong, enduring and solid with something that is fragile and disposable.’  Jilly Morris, July 2010

Interface_Intro_C2_B1

Reviews unedited

Your open space for new critical writing about contemporary art exhibitions, performance, artists' publications and public art.

Now comment

Think a reviewer's got it all wrong? Now you can add your own comments.

Interface opportunities


Liverpool Biennial bursary

Opportunity for writer to review this years Biennial programme, it looks really juicy this year Read on »

John Moores Painting Prize bursaries

Three bursaries including one video opportunity  Read on »

101 Excuses book review

101 Excuses: How art legitimises itself book by artist Manual Saiz  Read on »