ARTISTS have released pictures of work which were meant to be part of a new exhibition now hidden behind closed doors.

The show was put together by artists at the Northern School of Art and was due to open ay Hartlepool Art Gallery on Saturday.

As the gallery is now closed, the artists have released pictures from the ‘Practice’ show to give people a sneak-peak of what they can expect when it reopens.

The array of pieces, showcasing a diverse range of disciplines including fine art, sculpture, graphic design and typography, photography and print-making, are hanging silently behind the closed doors of the gallery until the coronavirus crisis subsides.

Prior to the closure of the gallery in the Grade II Victorian church premises adjacent to the school’s degree and masters’ level campus in Hartlepool, staff had worked hard to install the artworks.

The exhibition stands ready and awaiting visitors when the gallery eventually reopens.

Photos of the works in situ have now been released to give people of flavour of what lies in store when visits can resume.

Tony Charles, a fine art lecturer and director and artist at Platform A Gallery in Middlesbrough, who curated the main gallery artworks, said: “The Northern School of Art is renowned for its practitioners and educators who deliver the highest calibre of artistic practice within the setting of a specialist independent art school.

“This exhibition is an exciting showcase of work by artists and practitioners who have helped to cement the school’s reputation as an established provider of highly skilled graduates to the creative industries.”

Works include a giant typographical artwork incorporating open source typographic called ‘TypeBase’ by the School’s graphic designer degree programme leader Olivia Watson and lecturer Paul Clay in the Apse gallery.

The main gallery features artworks and photography by the school’s fine art and photography degree programme leaders and lecturing staff.

This includes pieces by Dr Charles, from his signature ‘Unpaintings’ series that blend painting, drawing and sculpture.

Also in the main gallery are paintings by the school’s fine art degree programme leader Dr Jonathan Chapman, industrially-processed wooden sculptures by fine art technician, Katy Curran and prints by Kathryn Bell, an artist and print technician.

The programme leader of the school’s photography degrees, Jamie Macdonald, and photography lecturers Antony Chambers and Jill Cole also have a series of photographs on the walls ready for viewing.

The Northern School of Art, which has sites in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, is the only specialist provider of creative degrees and masters courses in the North-East and has the gold standard for teaching.

Hartlepool Art Gallery is among the venues to close as a result of coronavirus.

The exhibition space, located within the restored Victorian Christ Church, in Church Square, will reopen when restrictions are lifted.

For further details visit northernart.ac.uk