Gallery launches latest exhibition programme

A Lynn art gallery has launched its 2024 exhibition programme with a celebration of one of its long-term collaborations.For the last three years, GroundWork Gallery has been host to artists in residence selected from the prestigious Art for the Environment international residency programme (AER).Starting earlier this month, the gallery is hosting an exhibition of the work of six artists who have participated in this programme in different locations, from Italy, Spain, France and Brazil, as well as GroundWork Gallery in the UK.

AER provides a range of immersive experiences in 19 host organisations for postgraduate artists, working across disciplines, to research and develop creative projects that tackle numerous environmental concerns.Curated by the University of the Arts London (UAL)’s Camilla Palestra, this exhibition includes artists who are currently considering human-nature entanglements, offering new imaginative perspectives between different forms of life. For Sophie Anna Gibbings, this concerns shore-line life between humans and seaweed, whereas Lucy Jane MacAllister Dukes is engrossed by mosses.Both Beth Robertson and Eleni Maragaki are fascinated in different ways by trees, Beth by their sounds, Eleni by their stature and sculptural presence.Nicholas Holt as a photographer considers issues of desertification, looking at arid landscapes in Almeria, Spain.Also political in intent is the work of Lucy and Jorge Orta whose activism in the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon brings to the fore concerns about deforestation and loss of biodiversity.However, far from being gloomy, their work is full of action and vibrancy, showing positive images of the rivers, forests and their flora. The exhibition is supported by UAL’s Institute of Sustainable Fashion and the Postgrad Community.Further details of the residency sites and the artists’ work can be found online at https://www.groundworkgallery.com/exhibition/art-for-the-environment/ The exhibition is also part of the programme for Norfolk and Norwich Festival, including a special discussion and walking event on May 12: Sensing Trees, featuring exhibiting sound artist Beth Robertson talking with soon-to-be Lynn resident, composer Stevie Wishart and the borough arboricultural officer, Brian Ogden.More details are on GroundWork Gallery’s website and it is bookable via Norfolk and Norwich Festival.The exhibition runs at GroundWork until June 8, with the gallery open Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 4pm.