‘Wilderness’: Professor Esther Johnson exhibiting ‘Hinterland’ at the New Art Gallery, Walsall – Opens with preview on 01 February 2018
Professor Esther Johnson, Professor of Film and Media Arts at Sheffield Hallam University, will be exhibiting work as part of a new exhibition entitled Wilderness at The New Art Gallery opening in Walsall with a preview on Thursday 01 February 2018.
As part of a season of exhibitions exploring the theme of wilderness, The New Art Gallery Walsall is delighted to present paintings, drawings, photographs and film works by a group of artists whose works engage with the natural world and our innate need for solitude, peace and open space. From barren high-altitude salt deserts and snow-blanketed mountain tops to environments in transition such as coastlines and volcanoes, the artists bring into view the truly wild places on our planet. Film works by Ben Rivers and Esther Johnson focus on marginal individuals who have chosen to move away from society, living precarious existences in remote places where nature rules.
As part of the exhibition, Esther will be in conversation at the gallery on Thursday 15 March, presenting her film Hinterland (2002), with a panel discussion with Wilderness curator, Zoë Lippett and Steven Bode, Director of Film and Video Umbrella.
Focusing on an East Yorkshire community which live on the fastest eroding coastline in Europe, Hinterland asks how it feels to live in such a precarious situation with homes fatally threatened by the elements.
The narratives of three Skipsea residents are explored. Charlie believes he has fifteen years until the land on which his house stands falls into the sea; Saffron speaks of how she always has a backpack ready to make a swift escape; and Peter recalls how far out the land reached in WWII, when he was a young man.
Wilderness
The New Art Gallery
Walsall WS2 8LG
Exhibition: Friday 02 February 2018 to 06 May 2018, with preview on Thursday 01 February 2018 6PM – 8PM, all welcome.
Esther Johnson in conversation with Hinterland screening: Thursday 15 March 6.30PM – 8PM, for information and tickets please see here.
Esther Johnson works at the intersection of artist moving image and documentary. Her poetic portraits focus on marginal worlds, revealing resonant stories that may otherwise remain hidden or ignored. Work has been exhibited internationally in 40 countries, and has also featured on television and radio. In 2012 Johnson won the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Performing and Visual Arts for young scholars. She is a Professor of Film & Media Art at Sheffield Hallam University. Find out more about Esther’s work here.