New exhibition explores the impermanence of our landscapes
An exhibition of new work by artist Nick Goss opens at Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) this March.
Imagined floods and submerged landscapes form the catalyst for a new series of paintings and works on paper which encapsulates the impermanence of our surroundings.
In these works, Nick Goss collapses time and space by filtering images of contemporary London and personal memories, with documentary photographs of historic floods to create places that are simultaneously familiar and intangible. This sense of displacement is sharpened by combining screen-print with painting and employing a heightened colour palette that together forms images bordering on a dream or apparition.
Water and deluges are a reoccurring theme in Goss’ practice with a rich connection to art history and literature. In particular, JG Ballard’s 1962 apocalyptic novel The Drowned World, is a constant influence on his work in its descriptions of London as a tropical lagoon, overgrown by nature.
The exhibition title Mud Angels references the collective effort of young, international volunteers who, in 1966, assembled in Florence to rescue works of art from a flood which engulfed the city in mud. Traces of this act of solidarity surface in a painting in the exhibition, alongside other works that sample images from the 1953 de Ramp floods in the Netherlands, where Goss’ Dutch relatives were among thousands forced to evacuate.
THG has commissioned Goss and multi-instrumentalist Jim Wallis to compose a soundtrack that will permeate the spaces of the exhibition and resonate with the paintings. This collaboration follows on from their album Pool released last year, and is the first time Goss, who is also a musician, has combined sound within one of his exhibitions.
As part of this exhibition, Goss will pair a painting with work by Thelma Hulbert (1913 – 1995), prompting a conversation between their approaches to painting interior spaces.
The exhibition reminds us that climate change and coastal erosion are making us consider serious social and environmental change. In East Devon, this change is taking the form of communities working collaboratively to make their local rivers and coasts more resilient to flooding, while supporting the natural world, including creating new wetlands and restoring flood plains.
Opening on 19 March, this exhibition is an integral part of THG's 2022 programme Creative Communities and the Land. It will be accompanied by a public programme of workshops, talks and events, including a performance by Larkhall combining new classical piano compositions with live visuals created by his music as he plays. Music, visual art and technology all collide in a moving, cinematic performance.
Nick Goss is an Anglo-Dutch artist and studied at the Slade and Royal Academy Schools, London. Recent solo exhibitions include Josh Lilley, London, Simon Preston, New York, and Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin. Nick Goss lives and works in London.
Nick Goss said, "Working on this project for Thelma Hulbert Gallery has been tremendously rewarding and challenging, pushing my practice into new places. The themes of flooding and our fragile relationship with nature have been a constant in my work for a while now, but by collaborating on a soundscape for the exhibition and developing the printing aspect of my practice I feel the work is heading into new territories."
The show's curator, Melissa Blanchflower from Serpentine, London added, "Nick is testing the possibilities of painting in this new exhibition, which signals him as one of the most exciting artists of his generation working in the UK today. After following his work for over a decade, I am thrilled to be working with him and Thelma Hulbert Gallery to realise this ambitious presentation of new work."
Councillor Nick Hookway (East Devon District Council Portfolio Holder Tourism, Leisure, Sport and Culture) commented, "The themes of this exhibition will resonate across our communities and help us to reflect upon our changing landscape due to flooding and erosion, both important issues for East Devon."
Nick Goss, Mud Angels
Curated by Melissa Blanchflower
19 March - 14 May 2022
Private View: Saturday 19 March, 3pm including 'In Conversation' event with Nick Goss and Melissa Blanchflower
Open Wednesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm.
THG programme:
Larkhall - postclassical piano and creative code
2 April, 6-7pm. £12 (£10 THG Friends)
Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX
thelmahulbert.com
