Formerly minusFIFTYSIX, Paradise Projects is a new art collective formed by three artists and graduates of Loughborough University School of the Arts, based in Leicester City Centre. After presenting and curating shows in a student setting (starting out in the basement of a student house) as the part of the art collective minusFIFTYSIX, the group found importance in engaging not just the art school community, but a wider audience. The Midlands has become an emerging hub for contemporary art, with artist led spaces and galleries being created in Birmingham, Nottingham, and Leicester. With the latter being the hometown of two of the Paradise Projects artists (and the adopted home of the third), it became a goal to help drive the thriving arts and cultural community in the city. In a new, central space, Paradise Projects look to bring a fresh programme to the city of Leicester, presenting engaging, accessible work that is relevant to anyone through the involvement of contemporary cultural themes. The group will be presenting three exhibitions in a pop-up gallery space from 16th April to the 3rd May, showcasing young and emerging artists in the Midlands and further afield. These shows will be accompanied by a print shop and social space on the ground floor, featuring work from some of the most exciting contemporary artists in the midlands.
