YORKSHIRE artists are uniting under the Agency – Art Life and Society banner for a creative response to the Government spending cuts.

“Spending cuts resulting from the banking crisis are affecting not only the pocket, but also the social, economic and political landscape and fabric of the UK and everywhere in the world,” says Agency director and artist Graham Martin, from York.

“What can art and artists do in this situation? How can they use their creative and expressive talents?”

The answer is The Spending Review, an interactive exhibition by artists across Yorkshire and guests around the world, supported by funding from Arts Council England.

“This is not a traditional-type show with pictures on a wall but an innovative showcase of voices and presentations,” says Graham, the exhibition’s curator and designer.

The Spending Review will begin with a preview day on Saturday, from 1.30pm to 4pm, at the Space 109 Community Arts Centre, in Walmgate, York, where it will then be on show on Sunday from 1.30pm to 4pm and next Monday and Tuesday from 12.30pm to 4pm.

For next Friday and Saturday, the exhibition will move to a market unit at Bradford’s Oastler Market, in John Street, from 11am to 4pm each day.

Graham Martin was responsible for the YoMu Visual Arts Festival, a York and Munster twin-town collaboration in 2007, and Crunchtime2010, a week-long art initiative in response to global issues in January last year. For The Spending Review, he will create a Free Café, to be run every day, with free tea and coffee and biscuits, where artist-waiters will serve you.

For Saturday’s preview in York and on July 9 in Bradford, York artist Milladdio has been enlisted to be a portrait waiter at the Free Café. “You can order your portrait done on a waiter’s pad,” he says.

John Oxley, the City Of York archaeologist and artist, will be presenting the phrase Did We Say You Could Do This To Us? repeatedly on an electronic scrolling display, while The Unknown Claimant’s contribution will be a research-based work on cuts to disability benefit.

Taking part from outside will be Mladen Miljanovic, a Bosnian political artist, whose phrase So Much Money So Much Art is made in money. People can either take or add money to the work when it is shown outside in York or runs along the perimeter of the market unit in Bradford.

Italian artist-economist Vitantonio Russo will provide a text piece and philosopher bard Phil Rockstroh and broadcast designer and animator Angela Rockstroh, from New York, will be showing Interstates And States of Grief, a prose poem video work. “Their video explores the crisis in American culture taking in the Southern States, fish and the idea of travel,” says Graham.

Jackie Raybone, a former student in Bradford now living in Brighton, first created his 12 metre-long drawing.

Transparency for the TUC’s cuts march in London. Charting the history of the Coalition Government, it has been made into a placard to be carried by eight people.

Now it is York’s turn to hoist it aloft.