New prints by Nalini Malani and Céline Condorelli’s artwork for reclining visitors go to Bath and Exeter following National Gallery exhibitions

Striking new prints made from stills from a monumental projected ‘animation chamber’ and a large, printed rug, on which visitors were invited to recline, have been gifted to museums in Bath and Exeter following National Gallery exhibitions. 

The first of the Gallery’s Bicentenary acquisitions for other museums, the works by the Gallery’s first Contemporary Fellow, Nalini Malani, go to the Holburne Museum, Bath, having been funded by Art Fund; while those of its 2023 Artist in Residence, Céline Condorelli, join the collection of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter (RAMM), funded by the Contemporary Art Society. Condorelli’s works are her first to enter a UK public collection.  

The acquisitions are either part of, or inspired by, recent residencies and presentations of the artists’ work, at both the National Gallery and these partner UK museums. 

The Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund, and the Artist in Residence, in association with the Contemporary Art Society, are strands of the National Gallery’s Modern and Contemporary Programme, that include the acquisition of a work by the artist for its partner venues. 

To mark the legacy of Nalini Malani’s National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund (2020-23), nine unique, hand-coloured prints by the artist have been presented to the collection of the Holburne Museum. These digital pigment prints, based on nine stills from her ‘animation chamber,’ My Reality is Different, shown at both Bath and London in 2022-23, have been drawn over with pencil, ink and acrylic to expand on themes explored in the animations of her immersive video installation.  
The selection of nine still frames from the animations has been made to respond to the collection of the Holburne Museum. The selection of stills from the animations include portraits of imagined figures and details of the painting by Johan Zoffany (1733-1810) from the Holburne’s collection alongside other iconic paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), Caravaggio (1571-1610) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).  

Through her research during the Contemporary Fellowship, Malani selected 25 paintings from across both the National Gallery and the Holburne Museum, Bath, as the basis of over 80 individual animations. Using an iPad, Malani drew directly over reproductions of the paintings to produce digitally drawn animations that obscured or bought renewed focus to the details she focused on. Her animated figures and imagined shapes appear to interact with elements within the paintings, including Samson and Delilah by Rubens, Holbein’s The Ambassadors, and Johan Zoffany’s group portrait of The Auriol and Dashwood Families. 

Interspersed in the cycle of animations were portraits of imagined people from Asia and Africa, described by Malani as members of the subaltern, whose faces disappear again behind colourful stock-market charts. They reflect those marginalised by society, today and in the past, but whose labour underpins global economies connecting us all. The animations were looped across nine channels that when projected across the walls of the gallery overlapped one another creating a 40-metre-long panorama of unexpected and endless juxtapositions and connections. 

Céline Condorelli’s 'Bulk, Everlasting Colour' has been presented to the collection of RAMM (Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter) by the Contemporary Art Society through a partnership with the 2023 National Gallery Artist in Residence programme, with the support of Anna Yang and Joseph Schull, 2023/24. This artwork featured as part of the artist’s exhibition at the National Gallery. 

The rug was used in place of the gallery furniture inviting visitors to recline on it and experience the Gallery in a different way. The graphic, printed on the carpet, was produced from technical images of all the materials in the Gallery – such as marble, wood and wall fabric. They were made with the National Gallery’s Scientific Department using scanning methods usually applied to paintings. Condorelli combined these scans with microscopic photographs of pigments found in the paintings of the collection that hang in the room, digitally creating new ‘paintings’ that came to represent all these materials.

Another work by Condorelli acquired for Exeter is the print 'Pentimenti (0751)', one a series of prints produced by the artist in which she removes the figures from the foregrounds of 15th- century portraits to reveal the textile hanging as backdrops behind them. For this selected print, she worked with Giovanni Santi’s The Virgin and Child (perhaps about 1488), using software to digitally remove the figures and reconstruct the textile and landscape of the background.  It makes a strong connection to her interest in textiles and their role within the art gallery to frame and facilitate the act of looking.

Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, says: ‘I am delighted that in our 200th anniversary year, thanks to the generous funding of Art Fund and the Contemporary Art Society, we have been able to secure our first acquisitions for two of our UK partner museums. With Céline Condorelli’s 'Bulk, Everlasting Colour' and 'Pentimenti' in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter, and Nalini Malani’s new prints from 'My Reality is Different' in the Holburne Museum, Bath, there is a permanent legacy of the work of these artists from this important joint collaboration.‘ 

Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, says: ‘Our public collections have an enduring power to inspire, as demonstrated by Nalini Malani's remarkable works created in response to, and in conversation with, works from the National Gallery and the Holburne Museum in Bath for 'My Reality is Different'. I'm delighted that the Holburne Museum will acquire nine unique prints from the show for their permanent collection, where they will serve as an important legacy of Nalini Malani’s National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund.'

Dr Chris Stephens, Director of the Holburne Museum, Bath, says: ‘We are very proud to be adding nine prints by Nalini Malani to our Collection, through this prestigious collaboration. The works were developed with such thought and care, and will play an important role in expanding the voices and stories within our Collection. We are extremely grateful to the National Gallery, Art Fund, and Nalini for this wonderful opportunity.'

Cllr Bob Foale, Exeter City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Arts, Culture & Tourism, says: ‘As the National Gallery’s partner on its artist-in-residence programme last year, we were fortunate to work closely with their Curator of Contemporary Projects, Priyesh Mistry, who supervised Céline Condorelli’s residency and provided support to RAMM. This unique opportunity to acquire innovative contemporary artwork by an influential and inspiring woman artist ensures RAMM’s art collection continues to reflect society today. We look forward to sharing this exciting new work with RAMM’s visitors in our autumn programme, and will be encouraging them to recline on the carpet to view RAMM’s fine art collection from a different perspective.’

Notes to editors

The acquired works:

Nalini Malani, 'My Reality is Different', 2024; 9 pencil, ink, acrylic, collage on digital pigment prints on Moab Entrada paper; 30 x 54 cm each, unique.
Presented by the Art Fund, 2024. Commissioned as part of the inaugural National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund in partnership with the Holburne Museum.

Céline Condorelli, 'Bulk, Everlasting Colour', 2023; Printed rug; 640 x 340 cm
Céline Condorelli Pentimenti (0751), 2023; Giclée print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag; 54.5 x 39 cm; Ed. 1 of 2 + AP
Presented by the Contemporary Art Society, 2024. Commissioned as part of the National Gallery Artist in Residence with Contemporary Art Society in partnership with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter (RAMM).  

The Gallery displays and projects:
Nalini Malani: My Reality is Different – National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund
The National Gallery, London (2 March – 11 June 2023),  
Holburne Museum, Bath, (7 October 2022 - 8 January 2023.)
'Céline Condorelli: Pentimenti (The Corrections)', 13 September 2023 – 7 January 2024.)  
Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter (RAMM). 24 October 2024 – 30 May 2025

About Nalini Malani

Nalini Malani, born in 1946 in Karachi, British India, lives and works in Mumbai, India. Due to Partition her family were forced to leave their homes as refugees. The imposed poverty in a land with unfamiliar languages and cultures made the relocation extremely difficult. Graduating from Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, in 1969, her practice began with photography, experimental film and abstract painting. 
For over five decades Malani’s work has increasingly questioned conventions of painting and drawing, to be able to reach a wider audience and speak up against the rise of political oppression. As the pioneer of video art in India, she created new ways of immersive video installations, which she coined ‘video plays’, her signature ‘video/shadow plays’ and ‘animation chambers’. In these and other experimental art forms, such as her collaborative theatre plays, the ephemeral wall drawings /erasure performances and multi-panel reverse paintings, Malani’s focus has been consistently on themes of transnational politics, the ramifications of globalisation, and the critical examination of gender roles. Malani’s work considers the human and universal aspects of conflict, giving a voice to the stories of those marginalised by history – particularly women. 

Since 2000, Malani has had five retrospectives; Castello di Rivoli, Rivoli (2018); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2017); Kiran Nader Museum of Art, New Delhi (2014); Museé cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne (2010) and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem (2004), and over fifteen museum solo exhibitions including M+, Hong Kong (2022), Kunstmuseum Den Haag, The Hague (2021), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2021), Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (2020); Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, Mumbai (2020); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2017); Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, (2016); the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2012), and the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2002). In 2019 she won the Joan Miró Prize, Barcelona; in 2016 the Asian Art Game Changers Award, Hong Kong; in 2014 the St. Moritz Art Masters Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2013 the Fukuoka Arts and Culture Prize. In 2023, she received the Kyoto prize, an outstanding distinction often referred to as the equivalent of the Nobel prize in Asia.

About the Holburne Museum, Bath

The Holburne Museum’s mission statement is 'Changing Lives Through Art', signalling its commitment to opening up the enjoyment of art to people of all ages and from every walk of life. The Holburne was founded in 1882 with the gift of Sir William Holburne’s collection of 16th- and 17th-century Italian and Dutch paintings, silver, sculpture, furniture, porcelain and diverse objets d’art of national and international significance. That founding gift has been augmented with a collection of 18th-century paintings by such artists as Gainsborough, Lawrence, Ramsay, Stubbs and Zoffany. Set within the historic Sydney Pleasure Gardens, the Museum reopened in May 2011 after ambitious renovations and with a new, award-winning extension by Eric Parry Architects. The Holburne has since secured a national reputation as an outstanding museum which holds critically acclaimed exhibitions. Its programme of exhibitions, commissions and events sets out to bring to Bath great art of all periods and from around the world, seeking to set the art of the past in dialogue with contemporary practice in exciting and dynamic new ways.

About Art Fund 

Art Fund is the national charity for art, helping museums and people to share in great art and culture for 120 years. Art Fund raises millions of pounds every year to help the UK’s museums, galleries and historic houses. The charity funds art, enabling the UK’s museums to buy and share exciting works, connect with their communities, and inspire the next generation. It builds audiences, with its National Art Pass opening doors to great culture. And it amplifies the museum sector through the world’s largest museum prize, Museum of the Year, and creative events that bring the UK’s museums together. Art Fund is people-powered by 135,000 members who buy a National Art Pass, and the donors, trusts and foundations who support the charity.  
The National Art Pass provides free or discounted entry to over 900 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and 'Art Quarterly' magazine. 
www.artfund.org

About Céline Condorelli 

Céline’s work addresses the boundaries between public and private, art and function, work and leisure, in order to reimagine what culture and society can be, and the role of artists within them. Using sculptures, architecture and installations, both within museums and galleries but also in the public realm, Céline's practice highlights the action of exhibiting itself, in its material and temporal nature. Celine has produced or participated in numerous exhibitions both internationally and in the UK. Most recently last year, a commission with the South London Gallery for a playground in a nearby residential estate, which then formed the basis of an exhibition featuring a film made in collaboration with Ben Rivers and Jay Bernard that was shown at the gallery, titled ‘After Work’. Celine also presented her work in a major survey, under the same name at the Talbot Rice Gallery in Edinburgh and her project ‘Our Silver City 2094’ was also shown at Nottingham Contemporary. Among many accolades, Celine was shortlisted for the Max Mara Art Prize for Women in 2017, and as a teacher also for many years, is currently Professor of Exhibition Design and Research at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design in Germany.  www.celinecondorelli.eu   

About the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery

RAMM is Exeter’s world-class museum, with stunning displays that reveal Devon and Exeter’s rich history and global connections. These displays of extraordinary objects inspire artists to create new work and provide a rich context for an engaging contemporary art programme that includes temporary collection interventions and exhibitions. Featuring new and commissioned work by internationally-renowned artists ranging from Joy Gregory and Bedwyr Williams to Susan Derges and Lucy Skaer, as well as existing works by artists such as Mikhail Karikis and Dorothy Cross in RAMM-curated shows, contemporary art at RAMM reflects the varied and fascinating subjects explored in the museum. RAMM also supports and shows artists living and working in Exeter and the wider region, most recently Léonie Hampton, Amy Shelton and Michelle Sank. The contemporary art programme of commissions and exhibitions is funded by Arts Council England. For more information about the contemporary art programme see: www.rammuseum.org.uk/visiting-us/contemporary-art 

RAMM has a track record of making its collections accessible to a wide audience. In 2012 RAMM won the much coveted Art Fund ‘Museum of the Year’ award in recognition of the innovative and thoughtful way the collection was redisplayed. When presenting the award Lord Chris Smith described the galleries as, ‘some of the most intelligently considered displays on view in any museum in the UK’ demonstrating RAMM’s extensive interpretative skill that engages audiences of about 250,000 each year. A flagship Exeter City Council service, RAMM attracts funding from other sources and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. www.rammuseum.org.uk  

About the Contemporary Art Society

The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) is a London-based charity that was founded in 1910 to promote contemporary art in the UK. Since its foundation, it has facilitated the donation of over 10,500 works of fine art and craft into public collections and currently has a membership of 78 museums across the UK: from Plymouth in the South to Orkney in the north, from Swansea in the West to Norwich in the East. Over the years, CAS has acquired work by many leading artists including Barbara Hepworth, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Grayson Perry, John Akomfrah and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Sitting at the heart of cultural life in the UK, CAS brokers philanthropic support for the benefit of museums and their audiences across the entire country. Their work ensures that the story of art continues to be told now and for future generations. www.contemporaryartsociety.org 

The National Gallery, London

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. 
 
On 10 May 2024 the National Gallery reached its 200th birthday, and the start of our Bicentenary celebration, a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination, marking two centuries of bringing people and paintings together. 

About the National Gallery’s Modern and Contemporary Programme 

For nearly two centuries, the National Gallery’s Collection has provided inspiration to contemporary artists. The National Gallery’s Modern and Contemporary Programme continues this tradition through exhibitions, displays, commissions, and residencies. 2019 saw the unveiling of Bridget Riley’s monumental wall painting Messengers in the Gallery’s Annenberg Court. Other exhibitions within the programme have included Kehinde Wiley: The Prelude, Sea Star: Sean Scully at the National Gallery (13 April – 11 August 2019), Young Bomberg and the Old Masters (27 November 2019 – 1 March 2020) and Rachel MacLean: The Lion and The Unicorn (29 November 2018 – 3 February 2019). As well as the inaugural Contemporary Fellowship of Nalini Malani there have also been three National Gallery Artists in Residence, a new residency supported by the Contemporary Art Society and aimed at mid-career artists which replaces the Gallery’s previous Associate Artist scheme. The first Artist in Residence in 2019-20 was Rosalind Nashashibi and the second was Ali Cherri whose residency exhibition opened with its residency partner for that year, the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry. The third Artist in Residence for 2023 was Céline Condorelli with its residency partner the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) and the Gallery’s fourth Artist in Residence, for 2024, is Katrina Palmer.

More information at nationalgallery.org.uk 

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