This Is Britain, Arthritis Research UK charity bookshop, Colliergate, York, until June 23 (From York Press)

This Is Britain, Arthritis Research UK charity bookshop, Colliergate, York, until June 23

9:49am Friday 1st June 2012 in Exhibitions

CULTURAL commentator Dexter is the first York artist to take up the chance to exhibit at the newest outlet for the city’s artists.

His zeitgeist work, This Is Britain, is on show at the Arthritis Research UK charity bookshop in Colliergate, where manager Dan Barber has made wall and window space available to all local artists with the aim of integrating interesting art and photography with the new and second-hand books.

Dexter’s text installation is specifically themed for the summer of 2012 to tie in with The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

“The piece is a collection of cultural icons and obscurities defining much of how the identity of being British is perceived,” he says.

Welcoming his work to the Arthritis Research shop, exhibition coordinator Tricia Scott says: “I believe this is the first time a charity shop has chosen to exhibit the work of York-based artists and I’m delighted that Dexter’s piece has been selected.”

This Is Britain will be exhibited upstairs until June 23, alongside other artists’ work. “I’m also looking to highlight the reality of arthritis denying creative people the opportunity of expression as the disease gradually affects the dexterity of the hands,” says Dexter.

“I’m particularly aware of arthritis after, very surprisingly, some of my Dexterworld work was chosen to hang in an exhibition organised by Hugo Boss for their new store in Manchester. Among works by Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Bob Dylan, there was a range of the infamous Marilyn Monroe portraits taken by Eve Arnold, widely regarded as a leading and pioneering American photographer.

“She lived with Monroe for months, enabling her to gain such candid and relaxed portraits, and I was moved to discover that in the later stages of her life she developed arthritis in her hands and eventually could no longer hold cameras.

“Seeing the work around me at the exhibition, I realised how we – as artists – take our hands for granted, and I sensed the frustration she and other creative people must feel as their hands can no longer direct the camera, paint brush or pen to help express their ideas.”

A percentage of artist sales generated by Dexter’s piece will be donated to Arthritis Research. “I’m delighted to be able to show my work, knowing that money from any sales goes towards research into reducing the impact of this disease, and I thank Dan for opening up another opportunity to exhibit for local artists.”

This Is Britain also can be seen at Ello Flower in Goodramgate, York, during the Diamond Jubilee jamboree.

• DAN Barber, manager of Arthritis Research UK’s York shop, in Colliergate, wants to hear from artists keen to submit their work for exhibition there.

“The aim of our initiative is to display the art of all local artists, thereby raising awareness of our charity shop and our need for donations,” says Dan, who can be contacted on 01904 541304.