New York’s Drawing Center and Tate have invited British artist Avis Newman to select an exhibition of drawings from Tate's Collection to be shown at the Drawing Center in April 2003.

The notion of drawing as the silent act of marking, gesturing and making signs is central to Newman’s own practice as an artist. She describes it as the activity that is closest to pure thought. With this in mind Newman’s selection of around 140 works, has not been bound by historical period or nationality. Instead it demonstrates her interest in drawing as a set of actions which convey sensations before and beyond language, but also in drawing as an exploratory activity – a self-conscious act by which an artist distils his or her own thoughts – and these two strands need not be mutually exclusive. The works will both be hung on the wall, sometimes in tight groups, and displayed in vitrines, sometimes in piles (where they will be rotated during the course of the exhibition). As well as convey the affinities between the drawings, this display will emphasise, where appropriate, their existence as parts of a series or an on-going activity, rather than as unique or precious objects.

Exhibiting at:

• Drawing Center, New York, USA
  (3 April - 31 May 2003)
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
  (18 June - 24 August 2003)
• Tate Liverpool
  (26 September 2003 - 28 March 2004

A Tate International Programme Exhibition