Unfurl is an exhibition at Stapleford Granary, Cambridge, of eight artists whose work celebrates the fecundity of flora and fauna as the winter months slip away and the burgeoning of bulbs and buds herald spring!
It encompasses painting, photography, drawing, collage, ceramics, textile embroidery, handblown glass and shell work by eight creative talents from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Participating Artists and Makers:
Claire Coles
Carolyn Brookes-Davies
Helen Derbyshire
Mark Edwards
Elizabeth Merriman
Tim Plunkett
Ella Porter
Layne Rowe
Botanical art has, until relatively recently, been viewed as a discipline subservient to scientific research, rather than as a recognised genre. There have been periods where Still Life painting embraced botanical subject matter, particularly in Holland in the seventeenth century. However, it was only during the twentieth century artists like Georgia O’Keeffe pursued a pathway, informed by further photographic study, that developed the subject area independent of the genre’s original purpose. The artists and makers included in Unfurl extend this trajectory, using their work to describe the natural process of renewal that sparks a sense of 'eternal spring' underling their subject matter.
In recent years creatives have found a variety of means to represent plant life across different taxonomies without relying upon mere objective description. During their research, observation, and production process they gain considerable personal insight into the life cycles of their subjects. Their increased depth in understanding and interpretation of botanical subjects, and simple biological organisms has led to the present circumstance where the subject is now recognised as a rich genre for legitimate creative exploration. By transgressing the boundaries between genres, these artists and makers have attracted appreciative audiences as they gain insight into the value of the natural environment and our dependency upon its biodiversity.
