end/begin

… is a Fine Art Exhibition launching on the 1st January until the 10th January 2021. Curated by Caroline Nugent, and grounded in the ancient Japanese philosophy of wab-sabi, the exhibition features the work of 4 female artists who collectively consider: the decay and erosion of material and memory; the process of flowers returning to dust; and looking for wisdom and tolerance in a conflict strewn shared history.

Joanne Forrest is a sculptor attracted to the use of materials and objects containing a trace of a previous existence, of growth, decay, and rust, of temporal existence, captured for a moment before inevitably devolving to nothingness.

Alex Hughes is also looking at decay using flowers as a motif to describe personal loss and grief. Hughes uses print etching and sculpture to explore the ephemeral nature of flowers, commenting on the transience of life and the feeling of melancholy they engender as they mark the passing of time.

Caroline Nugent is considering the loss of identity through a loss of memories. Using mixed media and found objects to highlight the patina of the old, these works reflect a shared history and the fraying edges of a life well-lived.

 Katarina Szajkoova is examining the destruction of heritage sites during conflict using paint and video stills and shares with us her longing for wisdom to resolve the conflicts and wars that inevitably lead her beloved monuments to crumble to dust.

In this exhibition the artists have found an ideology in wabi-sabi, that brings their meditations on the cycle of birth, death and everything in between to the viewer in a multi-faceted on-line exhibition. They are responding to the unique situation these times provide with their observations on the things that matter to them, of a life well lived, and the glory and melancholy found in their marks made on the passing of time.