The BFI Gallery was the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

's contemporary art gallery dedicated to artists' moving image housed within

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

, the British Film Institute's flagship venue in London (previously known as the

National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

). The space was funded by the

with

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

support and opened on 14 March 2007, to coincide with the reopening of the site. Its programme of new commissions, events and associated artists' film screenings was curated by Elisabetta Fabrizi, BFI Head of Exhibitions. The programme included exhibitions by

Michael Snow Michael Snow (born December 10, 1928) is a Canadian artist working in a range of media including film, installation, sculpture, photography, and music. His best-known films are ''Wavelength'' (1967) and '' La Région Centrale'' (1971), with the f ...

, John Akomfrah,

Apichatpong Weerasethakul Apichatpong Weerasethakul ( th, อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; ; ) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system ...

, Pierre Bismuth, Jane & Louise Wilson,

Peter Campus Peter Campus (born 1937 in New York, NY), often styled as peter campus, is an American artist and a pioneer of new media and video art, known for his interactive video installations, single-channel video works, and photography. His work is held ...

Patrick Keiller Patrick Keiller (born 1950) is a British film-maker, writer and lecturer. Biography Keiller was born in 1950, in Blackpool and studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. In 1979 he joined the Royal College of Art ...

, Phil Collins, Matt Collishaw,

Yvonne Rainer Yvonne Rainer (born November 24, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker, whose work in these disciplines is regarded as challenging and experimental.

, Julian Rosensfeld,

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers ...

, Deimantas Narkevicious, Mark Lewis. Film programmes linked to the gallery exhibitions included a retrospective of the films of

Sergei Paradjanov Sergei Parajanov, ka, სერგო ფარაჯანოვი, uk, Сергій Параджанов (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was an Armenian filmmaker. Parajanov is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers t ...

and of

.Fabrizi, Elisabetta (Ed.), 'The BFI Gallery Book', BFI, 2011 As stated in the BFI Annual Review 2010-11: 'The BFI Gallery has a deserved international reputation at the forefront of commissioning and exhibiting innovative and exciting artists working with the moving image. Since opening its doors in 2007 audiences have enthusiastically taken up rare opportunities to experience the work of worldclass artists such as Pierre Bismuth and

Mat Collishaw Matthew "Mat" Collishaw Hon. FRPS (born 6 January 1966) is an English artist based in London. Collishaw's work uses photography and video. His best known work is ''Bullet Hole'' (1988), which is a closeup photo of what appears to be a bull ...

and

Jane and Louise Wilson Jane Wilson and Louise Wilson (born 1967 in Newcastle upon Tyne) are British artists who work together as a sibling duo. Jane and Louise Wilson's art work is based in video, film and photography. They are Young British Artists, YBA artists who w ...

. Major new exhibitions and retrospectives from a diverse and gifted range of artists took place, John Akomfrah,

Julian Rosefeldt Julian Rosefeldt (born 1965 in Munich) is a German artist and filmmaker. Rosefeldt's work consists primarily of elaborate, visually opulent film and video installations, often shown as panoramic multi-channel projections. His installations rang ...

Yvonne Rainer Yvonne Rainer (born November 24, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker, whose work in these disciplines is regarded as challenging and experimental.

and

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

. June 2010 opened with 'Mnemosyne', a pioneering film by John Akomfrah that movingly explores themes of memory and migration in the West Midlands, weaving archival footage from 1960 to 1981 with contemporary portraits of Birmingham. The film is an innovative mix of documentary and poetic essay and was described by Ken Russell, and experienced by visitors, as ‘mind blowing’.

’s 'American Night'; a complex, five-channel film installation by the Berlin-based artist that confirmed his reputation for lavishly produced work in the moving image. 'American Night' borrowed from the style and rich image library of the American Western to subtly question the ambitions of recent US foreign policy. Next in residency was yet another star of the American art scene,

Yvonne Rainer Yvonne Rainer (born November 24, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker, whose work in these disciplines is regarded as challenging and experimental.

with the first major European retrospective dedicated to this legendary American dancer, choreographer and filmmaker. Very much a major influence on the new generation of video makers and choreographers, Rainer's work examines the balance between the political and the private in everyday life. 'The Yvonne Rainer Project' (2010) featured three of Rainer's works accompanied by cinema screenings of her seven feature films and an engaging video programme by contemporary artists exploring choreography for the camera. The final BFI Gallery exhibition was a playful return to the past created by Tate prize nominated Phil Collins. In Phil Collins: 'Marxism Today' audiences encountered film, video and photographic snapshots of life in the former East Germany offset by the illuminating recollections of teachers of Marxism–Leninism who lived and worked in the GDR.'BFI Annual Review 2010-11, pp.28-29, https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-annual-review-2010-2011.pdf The Gallery was closed as part of the BFI's review of all its activities following the Government's decision to cut grant-in aid by 15% over four years. The space vacated by the Gallery was redeveloped to house the BFI Reuben Library which opened in 2012. A commemorative book, 'The BFI Gallery Book', was published in January 2011.

References

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External links

*https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/feb/18/artist-week-jane-louise *https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/kubricks-lost-movie-now-we-can-see-it-1516726.html *https://frieze.com/article/john-akomfrah-0 *https://frieze.com/article/phil-collins *https://www.thewire.co.uk/news/18322/yes-snow-show_michael-snow-at-the-bfi *https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3674920/Patrick-Keiller-The-City-of-the-Future.html?image=6 Art galleries established in 2007 Art museums and galleries in London Modern art museums Contemporary art galleries in London Southbank Centre Museums in the London Borough of Lambeth Museums on the River Thames 2007 establishments in England British Film Institute