Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1715-2022 exhibition at the RWA (Royal West of England Academy) 2 July – 11 September 2022.
Tackling the most expansive and urgent of subject matters, and bringing together important modern, historical and contemporary artworks, Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1715-2022 examines how attitudes towards the landscape have evolved over the centuries and how artists’ approaches have changed over time; from the pastoral idylls of the 18th century, through representations of the Romantic Sublime, to present-day confrontations of the climate emergency. Encompassing depictions of the natural world from geological, spiritual, industrial, cultural and scientific perspectives, the exhibition sits at the intersection between art and science, including pieces that incorporate earth itself as material in the artwork or in the process of making.
Focusing mainly on British artists (or work produced in Britain), Earth includes artists such as J. M. W. Turner, John Constable, John Ruskin, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Samuel Palmer, Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, Richard Long, Ingrid Pollard, David Nash, Anya Gallacio, Mariele Neudecker, Katie Patterson and Andy Goldsworthy, alongside established and emerging contemporary artists, including RWA Academicians, covering a broad range of thematic concerns in a variety of media; such as painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, moving image and installation.