Mercer Gallery unveils its biggest exhibition of the year in Harrogate with a host of Yorkshire talent

Major Harrogate exhibition launch - Courtney Spencer, guest curator of The Mercer Open, and Karen Southworth, curator at the Mercer Gallery. (Picture by Graham Chalmers)

One of Harrogate’s biggest arts events of the year has opened – and it’s bigger than ever.

The Mercer Open, a biannual open exhibition which has taken place at Harrogate’s Mercer Gallery on Swan Road for the last 20 years, has opened at the historic art gallery in the heart of the town.

For the first time, the exhibition includes work from artists whose connections stretch beyond the Harrogate district and more widely into the Yorkshire region.

In another first, buyers wishing to make purchases are able to take their artwork home before the end of the exhibition, offering the opportunity for more artwork to be added to the exhibition throughout its run.

The well laid out, stunning interiors of the Open Exhibition at the Mercer Gallery in Harrogate.

Courtney Spencer, guest curator of The Mercer Open, said: “This really is an exhibition with something for everyone, from meticulously observed paintings to bold and colourful abstract work.

"It’s a visually exciting exhibition - there’s something wonderful in the contrast between such vibrant contemporary art and the elegant historic interior of the Mercer Gallery.”

Some of the artists featured have shared their Yorkshire connections and their journey to creating the artwork, with stories available to discover at the exhibition.

With a stunning range of artwork from drawings and paintings in a variety of media to sculpture and ceramics, the exhibition encourages visitors to experience the artwork through “slow looking”.

Showing at The Mercer Open exhibition in Harrogate - All We Have To Do Is Reach Out And Touch It by artist Candie Payne.

Slow looking involves spending more time with art: being curious and present in the moment; looking at the details of the artwork and considering how it affects mood and emotion.

Karen Southworth, curator at the Mercer Gallery, said: “We were thrilled to receive such an impressive and wide range of quality artwork for The Mercer Open.

"This exhibition welcomes new artists to the gallery, welcomes back many who have supported the Open during its 20-year history, and celebrates talent across Yorkshire.”

Located inside the 200-year-old Harrogate Promenade Rooms, Mercer Gallery opened in 1991 and boasts a large collection of 19th and 20th-century fine art, plus temporary exhibitions.

The Open Exhibition will run until January 8, 2023 at the Mercer Gallery, which is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm.