Ancient Landscapes

Sat 17th September – 17th October 2022

Jules Allan: Turquoise Flecks

"Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance."

 – Charles Lindbergh 

For centuries artists and artisans have been inspired by the world's landscapes. Their interpreted views of their environments have eroded in time and thus changed. 

Our landscapes are a legacy of human activity, evolving in unison with the land's socio-economic and socio-political organisation. Like an extricated ceramic vessel dug up from an archaeological find, we can examine our landscapes similarly. This process is an analysis of material culture and an inquiry into how we live.

Early complex societies' socio-economic and socio-political organisation evolved with their altered landforms. That said, landscapes can interplay between the engineered and the complexity of the disruption of human activity on the earth. Examples of this can be seen in agricultural settings. Likewise, political decisions, especially environmental ones, can impact our landscapes. 

With this in mind, artists naturally depict and document their impressions of what they see and feel in their surroundings.

The autumn-themed exhibition seeks to unearth the beauty beneath the surface of these marked landscapes our ancestors shaped. Featured are new collections from artists Barbara Burns, Lesley McInally, Jules Allan, and welcoming raku ceramicist Stephen Murfitt.

Barbara Burns 

Barbara Burns: Bone Pins No. 8

The paintings were inspired by items collected on a long walk at Dungeness. Returning to her studio, she emptied the bag of objects and allowed them to stay where they fell. All of the paintings have a reference to this bundle of stuff. The titles of the paintings come from a Seamus Heaney poem, Navvy. 

Barbara says –

Ancient buried landscapes, a bleak and deep loss. Walking back from darkness into a rich pallet of colour.

Lesley McInally 

Lesley McInally: Orchestral Landscape

The archaeological sites of Neolithic chambers and monuments found in the Orkney Islands have profoundly impacted Lesley's ceramic career. While studying the island's landscape, Lesley became increasingly intrigued by the historical graffiti encapsulated within and on these monuments.

Her works capture a deep emotional response to time, erosion, seasons and prose. Her strong use of colour, surface texture and markings can often evoke the dramatic seascapes and sunsets of expressionist paintings. 

To convey her ideas, Lesley developed a method of multi-layered surface techniques that echos aspects of the landscape.

Lesley says –

"I have often experienced my surrounding landscape as an orchestral concert for the eyes. Each piece tells its own unique story and often takes the viewer on a nostalgic dreamlike journey where one's senses and dreams cohere."

Jules AllAn

Jules Allan: Four Pink Lines

Jules’ subject matter is often related to mortality, sexuality and the vulnerability of the human body. Although her work has a human presence, the forms she uses are not human. They relate to the body rather than representing it directly. Each abstract painting establishes its own identity. The overall impact of her paintings can often be interpreted as human-inspired landscapes. Including her pieces in the exhibition gives a different angle on what we consider a landscape and represents how humans intervene.

Jules says –

"My imagery is fragile or tough, is blurred or has edges, are separate or merged."

Stephen Murfitt 

Stephen Murfitt: Large Green Angular Vessel

KMA welcomes Stephen Murfitt to our fold. The natural and built environments are an inspirational catalyst for his pieces, with weathering, erosion and decay constantly providing a reference source. His passion for Raku, which he has mastered over 40 years, adds a dramatic effect to his individually unique hand-built forms. 

Stephen says -

"I have always admired the timeless quality of ancient pots from all cultures seen in wonderful museum collections, particularly at the Fitzwilliam and British museums."

Please enquire if you are interested in any of these artists' works.

The exhibition continues until 17th October we hope to welcome you at 20 Market Street, Brighton.