Following the success of the Duran Duran ‘Careless Memories’ exhibition at Malmaison Birmingham earlier this year, the boutique hotel is launching its ‘Art Space’ with an exhibition by renowned fine art location photographer Clive Sawyer. Opening on Thursday 16 July, the exhibition will take place in the main foyer of the hotel, giving guests and visitors the chance to celebrate the city of Birmingham.
Malmaison Birmingham will now become home to a creative Art Space, giving artists and photographers the opportunity to takeover the main foyer area and promote their work to visitors and guests alike.
The first of these to exhibit is Clive Sawyer, an established travel and location fine art photographer who over the years has been commissioned to photograph in more than 55 countries. His work has been published extensively throughout the world in all forms of the media. Since 2000 he has been increasingly interested in the fine art photography world, especially after seeing the wide spread interest of this field in the USA. After successfully selling fine art prints online he ventured into the world of a gallery owner and opened his current establishment in the town of Rye, East Sussex, in 2008.
Sales of his work have rapidly increased year on year with his work being sold UK and worldwide. He has recently supplied Eastern Europe’s premier Business hotel, the 5 Star Prague Hilton, with 22 large canvas prints of various locations and views of Prague. These canvases are hung around the Cafe` bistro area, which is open to all on a 24/7 basis. There are also at least 100 travel book titles where the majority of the photographs were taken by Clive.
Last year he visited Birmingham and was taken aback at the changes and new developments. He captured the vibrancy of the city in a collection of photographs that will now be on display at Malmaison during the summer months. They will also be accompanied by number of hand-selected images from other locations that he loves
“Birmingham is such an incredible city and I really wanted to capture this exciting time. Its renaissance is causing quite a stir but, sometimes, amid the demolition and building works it’s important to stand still and capture the true beauty of the city,” said Clive.
Following a significant investment programme that has seen upgrades to all areas of the business, Malmaison Birmingham recently unveiled its centrepiece Chez Mal Brasserie and Bar. The first floor space has been transformed with a brighter, fresher more dramatic look. As The Mailbox redevelopment nears completion, the new look Chez Mal is already drawing in the crowds and General Manager Damian Goom is looking forward to hosting another exhibition. Back in April, the boutique hotel welcomed an exhibition by renowned music photographer Denis O’Regan, which featured never-before-seen images of Denis’ time on tour with Duran Duran in 1984. The three-week exhibition caused a stir, with Duran Duran band member Roger Taylor attending an exclusive event to welcome the images to the band’s hometown.
“I am really excited about launching this new space for artists, particularly following the interest of the ‘Careless Memories’ exhibition we had earlier in the year. The reaction from guests and visitors to our spa, bar and restaurant were fantastic and it made us realise how important it is to offer something different. After seeing Clive’s work I just had to have it here in the hotel – I still can’t quite believe that they are photographs. His work really does capture your imagination and I look forward to welcoming the exhibition next week,” Damian concluded.