Voyagers from across the globe, in their perennial search for utopia, have long held a fascination with the elusive ideals of ‘the island’ and all that it embodies. The epitome of paradise, it has been used as an emblem of fertility and sanctuary in music, literature and art throughout the centuries. It is therefore no great surprise that the island continues to be an invaluable source of intrigue and inspiration to many today. There are hundreds of thousands of islands on earth, each one, as national treasure David Attenborough describes, “a world in miniature, a microcosm of our living planet”. And so, despite the highly conflicting, and seemingly never-ending, national conversation dominating the headlines on our little island, these artists are a reminder that there remains much to celebrate about island life. This exhibition is therefore an invitation to celebrate the beauty of these wild places through the eyes of five artists; Pippa Blake, Hen Coleman, Charlotte Edsell, John Harmer and Giorgia Siriaco.
Despite significant differences in practice and process, the works of these five artists all consider island life as their subject, whether it be through a more conceptual investigation of the memory of place or an overtly literal representation of landscape. The work references islands around the globe from Pangkor Laut Island, Malaysia, to the Caribbean islands off the Gulf of Mexico, and many in between.
