Arcadia for all? Rethinking Landscape Painting Now

The exhibition was curated by Dr Judith Tucker, Senior Lecturer at the School of Design, University of Leeds and Geraint Evans, Pathway Leader MA Painting at Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London.

When you think about landscape, what comes to mind? Is it a natural green space, overflowing with wildlife? Is it urban – bustling with people, shops, and modern buildings? Do you feel like you belong there? Is it built to last, or is it slowly disappearing?

The exhibition borrowed its title from anarchist historian Colin Ward’s book ‘Arcadia for All: Legacy of a Makeshift Landscape’, in which he explores the lost ways in which working people accessed green spaces in the 20th Century. Raising important questions about who has access to nature, the show challenges a nostalgic, idyllic and elitist idea of landscape. The added question mark in the exhibition title is an invitation for you to ponder whether Arcadia – the perfect landscape – can still be found in our surroundings today.

Contemporary landscape painting brings with it vitality and variety, and is by no means limited in its themes and representations of people. As well as delving into ideas surrounding access to nature and the environmental crisis, the exhibition also tackles issues around equity, colonial legacies, and racism. Uncovering hidden histories throughout the landscape, it remembers and draws attention to what and who are not usually made visible, challenging us to look differently and carefully at the world around us.

List of participating artists:
David Ainley, Hurvin Anderson, Iain Biggs, Louise Bristow, Hannah Brown, Simon Callery, Lara Cobden, Kimathi Donkor, Sam Douglas, Natalie Dowse, Geraint Evans, Mark Fairnington, Andrew Grassie, Dan Hays, Lubaina Himid, Barbara Howey, Matthew Krishanu, Paula MacArthur, Elizabeth Magill, Cara Nahaul, Christopher Orr, Rebecca Partridge, Julian Perry, Narbi Price, Carol Rhodes, Greg Rook, George Shaw, Benet Spencer, Clare Thatcher, Judith Tucker, Phoebe Unwin, Joanna Whittle.