Nuno Cera, Futureland 25© the artist
A hub of art and culture in West Cornwall is opening two new exhibitions exploring the contrasting worlds of natural and urban spaces.
The two shows - aptly named An Urban Silence and Restless Nature - are being exhibited at The Exchange in Penzance and Newlyn Art Gallery throughout the summer.
An Urban Silence at the Exchange takes work from four Portuguese artists who have used photography, video and paintings to focus on urban spaces. Curated by Blair Todd, the work focuses on a perspective of cities without citizens.
In contrast, the artists featured in Restless Nature have used nature as their source material to describe the actual or imagined world around them.
GR Brierly, Supplacey© the artist
Blair Todd, the curator of both gallery spaces, said that the teams in Penzance and Newlyn had extenuated the contrasting link between the two exhibitions.
“When we chose the exhibitions we hadn’t really thought about the fact that they are linked because of the contrasting subject matter they address,” he explained. “However, as time passed it became clear that we could use this link to give visitors a more interesting and varied experience.”
Todd said that this had been done in the form of walks between both galleries. One walk takes in the architecture of the urban environment while the other takes people through places that highlight the natural beauty of the area.
A cultural library named Biblioteca will be an integral part of the An Urban Silence exhibition. The library will allow people to see a political and social portrait of Portugal together with an insight into the art scene and the influences of each of the exhibiting artists.
- Culture24 is working with Museums Cornwall to promote Cornish museums and their collections. Find out more at www.culture24.org.uk/cornwall
