Reading International

Reading International is Reading’s new contemporary visual arts organisation promoting and commissioning major solo exhibitions, group and thematic shows, a programme of events including performances, film screenings, workshops and talks as well as offsite projects and temporary public artworks.

Lead by the Department of Art at the University of Reading and hosted by a rich mixture of partners within the town, Reading International produces several major projects each year, in which artists and curators are given a platform to make new work in response to the unique social and historical context of Reading and wider Berkshire.

Projects confirmed for 2017, 2018 and 2019 include those by Scott King and Matthew Worley (CRASH!), Hannah Sawtell, Lina Džuverović, Martine Syms, Yuri Pattison, and Mike Nelson as well as exhibitions on diverse subjects such as Oscar Wilde’s art criticism, Folk Art and rural culture, new international approaches to the medium of painting, a programme of events in schools and libraries and a project for the Reading Abbey Ruins.

Each programme includes a series of educational activities by a range of artists, curators, writers, academics and students lead by ArtLab and aims to establish ongoing collaborations with international arts institutions, and engage with a wide range of local community groups, schools and children.

Reading International is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England’s Ambition for Excellence Programme, the University of Reading and Reading Borough Council. The programme receives additional support from other trusts and foundations and collaborates with partners including external arts agencies and organisations to co-produce projects.