I’m looking forward to showing a recently completed painting at this group show in Southampton at the end of April.
The show takes place in two shipping containers temporarily erected in Guildhall Square. It will be on display from 12pm - 4pm Friday 26th April until Sunday, with a late showing and Private View party starting at 6pm on Friday evening. Do come down!
20 Southampton artists explore our archaeological past in a new exhibition
Following a successful first exhibition in 2023 by the ZING collective, this year the networking group for artists with connections to Southampton, bring more artists and ideas together in the heart of the city.
A contemporary art exhibition, titled 'Material Remains,' will fill part of the Guildhall Square in Southampton with work by local visual artists from the collective between Friday 26th and Sunday 28th April 2024.
Sparked by an ongoing project where ZING artists are working with Southampton Cultural Services, the exhibition will present a conceptually explorative visual journey into themes surrounding archaeology.
Ongoing visits to the museum stores has allowed ZING artists to explore their collection of thousands of everyday items discovered in the city and uncover stories about their potential owners. The exhibition will include works which take direct influence from the collection, as well as works which more broadly consider archaeological themes.
This new collection of work will be displayed in and around repurposed shipping containers in Guildhall Square and is free and open to all to attend. The exhibition will include artworks in textiles, print, mixed media sculpture, painting, photography, crochet and more.
Richard Henry, Curator of Archaeology, Southampton City Council Cultural Services said: "Southampton has a rich archaeological tapestry with hundreds of thousands of objects within Southampton City Council’s Designated collection. It has been wonderful collaborating with ZING to help uncover new stories about Southampton’s diverse collections celebrating the city’s cultural heritage."
ZING Collective are extremely grateful to Southampton Cultural Services and Richard Henry the Curator of Archaeology who has been working with the artists to make the exhibition possible. The museum stores contain thousands of items which have been dug up in the city over many years. The collaboration has enabled these objects and their stories to be brought back to life and new meanings to be discovered.
ZING Collective is a networking group for artists at any career stage with connections to Southampton. It was set up and is run by ZEST Collective.
Image provided: Material Remains poster designed by Ellen Gillett.
Find out more about ZING: instagram.com/zestinclusivegroup or zestartscollective.com/zing
Find out more about Southampton Cultural Services: www.southampton.gov.uk/arts-heritage
