Posted by Rosie Jennings on August 21st, 2024.
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Thames-Side Studios Gallery
Harrington Way, Warspite Road, London SE18 5NR
Curated by Raksha Patel and Trevor Burgess
Preview: Friday 6th September 18:00–21:00 BST
Panel Discussion: Saturday 14 September 14:00–16:00 BST
Exhibition: Thursday–Sunday, 7–22 September 2024
What does it mean to paint the landscape of Britain today?
The landscapes presented in Standing Ground dramatically expand the British landscape painting tradition, in terms of subject matter, use of paint, and medium. Neither ‘the British landscape’, nor ‘today’s political landscape’ are fixed entities, but common threads that emerge (and at times unravel) in the paintings brought together in Standing Ground.
Flooding, heatwaves, polluted rivers have all drawn further attention to the environmental desecration and climate catastrophe facing the planet (but disproportionately impacting the global south). Questions of landscape and belonging figure crucially in all of these developments. How might artists ‘Stand Ground’ in these contexts?
Landscape painting is a particularly freighted artistic genre, deeply connected to ideas of national identity. This is especially the case in Britain, where landscape painting is often regarded as the most significant historical national artistic achievement and the landscapes of Gainsborough, Constable and Turner are sometimes seen as synonymous with British art altogether. Landscape painting is thus fundamental to narratives of British cultural identity, with the latter also fluid like paint itself.
Text abridged from the catalogue essay to the exhibition by Dr Kate Nichols.
Join artists for a Panel Discussion at Thames-Side Studios Gallery on Saturday 14 September from 14:00 to 16:00. The event is chaired by Dr Kate Nichols, Associate Professor in Art History at University of Birmingham. This panel discussion is free, and all are welcome.
The catalogue, funded by the British Art Network, will be launched at the exhibition opening. To order a copy of the catalogue (£12 + p&p) or for further information, please contact the curators [email protected] and [email protected]
Find out more about the exhibition on the Thames-Side Studios website.
