Cara Jean FLYNN

Force of Nature: Curated by James Putnam

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The Mile End Art Pavilion, London

05 March – 06 April 2017

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In this group show, Curator James Putnam exhibited work from 28 established and emerging international artists, all who are influenced by nature in varying ways in their work.

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The exhibition was housed in The Arts Pavilion, a modern eco built glass fronted modern building set within the landscaped gardens of Mile End’s Ecology Park. It seemed an appropriate setting for the show and whilst exploring the exhibition you could look out over the pond to see nesting swan and people picnicking, a synergy of nature and the human race co-inhabiting.

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Nature has always inspired artists and this exhibition is a look at how a number of contemporary artists have dealt with that. From defining our relationship with nature to trying to understand nature itself and also incorporating issues of environment and sustainability, all the work seemed to explore the strange sense that we see nature as an autonomous entity existing separately from us. This resonated with my own work as these core ideas have formed the basis of my own practice and I found it fascinating to see how other artists have addresses them

The on display was in a range of media and materials from the organic to the digital and from monumental to the most delicate and fragile, perhaps reflecting the diversity of nature itself. Grounding the exhibition were a few core sculptures such as David Nash’s wooden sculpture ‘Rough Sphere’ sitting heavy in the centre of the gallery space.  Around the edges other works invited a softer, more thoughtful appreciation such as the delicate and ephemeral video work ‘Rain Shadows’ by Andy Goldsworthy’s.  In this, he is filmed laying on the ground during a rain storm which creates an outline of his body as the surrounding ground changes colour with the wetness of the rain.

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I found it exciting to see so many of my favourite artists in one space and I was impressed with the diversity and breadth of artists Patnam had included in the show. Although the installation of the pieces lacked the slickness of a more established gallery space, the show had a home grown charm to it seeming appropriate to the subject matter and the setting. By the variety of each piece I was again reminded of the enormity of the subject matter and the diverse and exciting ways in which each artist addresses it. I was inspired in my own practice to continue to explore these epic issues and encouraged that I still had lots more to discover and new avenues to develop.