The Nature of Landscape – Visions & Distillations of Landscape & Place
March 8th to March 19th 2011
The Nature of Landscape project was conceived of back in 2008 by artist–curator Linda Ingham, on seeing the work of Wirksworth-based artist, David Ainley on show at De-Da in Derby. “I was looking for a project to provide for the N.E. Lincolnshire Arts Forum”, says Linda, from her studio at Abbey Walk Gallery in Grimsby. “ . . . and as soon as I saw David’s work, I realised how interesting it would be to create a project that challenges the idea of how we think about landscape.”
This March Surface Gallery will play host to an exhibition that marks the culmination of an Arts Council funded project which includes the work of sixteen artists and a composer.
The Nature of Landscape project was conceived of back in 2008 by artist–curator Linda Ingham, on seeing the work of Wirksworth-based artist, David Ainley on show at De-Da in Derby. “I was looking for a project to provide for the N.E. Lincolnshire Arts Forum”, says Linda, from her studio at Abbey Walk Gallery in Grimsby. “ . . . and as soon as I saw David’s work, I realised how interesting it would be to create a project that challenges the idea of how we think about landscape.” Ainley, who has a solo show running until the end of March at the New Court Gallery in Repton, makes subtle paintings and drawings that challenge the representation of landscape as ‘scenery’ or ‘nature’ and are at odds with the interpretative excesses of the heritage industry.
The curatorial approach has been to draw together work based on landscape, which contrasts visually as well as in terms of concept. Richard Kenton Webb’s work focuses very much on elements extracted and abstracted from the Cotswolds countryside, through which he has embarked on a systematic approach to explore colour; the work on show at Surface Gallery will be from the Red series.
Judith Tucker’s work concentrates on the mnemonic content and visually atmospheric subject of war-time German resorts, juxtaposed with contemporary timelines and their relationships in terms of historic resonance.
Jeremy Leigh’s work reflects very much the artist’s abstracted feelings in relationship to Yorkshire and Scottish landscapes that speak to him in terms of the open road, and the road less travelled.
Joined in this show by professor Stephen Newton, who wrote the introduction to the full colour catalogue that accompanies the work, the exhibition also includes the work of The Abbey Walk Gallery Artists group, and a film by Annabel Mc Court with a soundtrack by composer David Power.
The Nature of Landscape as a project grew out of the initial exhibition in 2009 at Abbey Walk Gallery, and has since consisted of subsequent shows at the gallery and at East Coast School of Art & Design, as well as a seminar, a series of workshops, the printed publication, and finally the Nottingham show. “Both the Abbey Walk Gallery artists and the degree students from ECSAD have benefited from the opportunity to develop their work as part of the project. Working with Judith, David, Richard and Jerry has been a positive and inspiring experience for all of us, and we are looking forward to showing the results at Surface Gallery”, says proprietor, Gillian Gibbon, “We hope that the public response to the very individual results of our broadened horizons will be just as positive.”