9 September – 16 November 2022
The Gallery, The Arc, Winchester
“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.”
John Ruskin
Infinite Beauty is a unique exhibition taking place at The Gallery at The Arc, Winchester, from Friday 9 September to Wednesday 16 November. This new Hampshire Cultural Trust exhibition has been specially curated by Steve Marshall for The Gallery, and the works on display, many of which are publicly exhibited for the first time, have been drawn entirely from private collectors in Hampshire. ,
Infinite Beauty investigates the enduring appeal of nature as a subject for leading contemporary artists, exploring the way in which they interact with natural forms - plants, animals, habitats and the wider landscape - and how their work comments on the ways human activity impacts the environment around us. The exhibition will feature an eclectic mixture of media, style and approaches, with photography, printmaking, ceramics and sculpture helping us to look at our relationship with nature afresh.
Works by leading artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Chris Drury, Elisabeth Frink, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Maggi Hambling, Richard Long, Juliette Losq, Darren Almond and Dan Holdsworth will take visitors from familiar everyday experiences to the ends of the earth among the ice and snow of Antarctica.
While Infinite Beauty celebrates the wonders of the natural world, it does so at a time when our planet and its ecosystems are in crisis. In Juliet Losq’s Widderschynnes (2014), an eerie urban edgeland is being overtaken by greenery. This might hint at nature’s powers of recovery but perhaps the humanoid head in David Mach’s self-destructive matchhead sculpture Head of a Faun can be seen as a reminder of our precarious relationship with our planet.
Curator Steve Marshall says: “We have been fortunate to draw together this unique exhibition through the generosity of a group of Hampshire-based collectors. Infinite Beauty showcases many remarkable works rarely seen in public. Through the imaginations of these artists we can look afresh at the amazing variety and beauty that nature provides, while marvelling at human creativity. Hopefully visitors will take away a message of hope from this inspirational combination.”
For more information, please visit www.arcwinchester.org.uk/event/infinite-beauty.
A lively and varied events programme has been planned to coincide with the exhibition. Events taking place at The Arc for the duration of the exhibition include, Rebecca Fletcher and Charley Corbett In Conversation: 12 Birds To Save Your Life, Watercolour for Wellbeing with Iris Hill, Georgia de Buriatte Botanical Beauty Art Course and Infinite Beauty Curator's Tours with Steve Marshall.
Visitors to The Arc will also be able to visit a complementary exhibition and new installation HEARTH, by artist Suna Imre at City Space and in The Arc atrium (until 13 November).