Nottingham Contemporary Wins Freelands Award for Lis Rhodes Exhibition

Freelands Foundation has named Nottingham Contemporary the recipient of its second annual Freelands Award, granting £100,000 to mount a comprehensive exhibition of artist and filmmaker Lis Rhodes. The award, established in 2016, supports regional arts organizations in presenting large-scale shows by mid-career female artists lacking wider recognition. Rhodes, born in 1942, emerged as a pivotal figure in 1970s independent film culture, blending expanded cinema with feminist theory. Her works Dresden Dynamo (1972) and Light Music (1975) are now regarded as seminal. Despite her influence, Rhodes has had limited gallery exhibitions; her last UK presentation was at the ICA in 2012, and she was featured in WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at LA MoCA in 2007. The award includes £25,000 directly for the artist. A selection panel comprising Elisabeth Murdoch, Martin Clark, Teresa Gleadowe, Jenni Lomax, and Cornelia Parker made the choice. The inaugural award went to Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery for a Jacqueline Donachie exhibition opening November 11. Nottingham Contemporary will use the funds to occupy its entire building with Rhodes's work.