Brave New Worlds exhibition

3 September - 5 November 2011

Utopias and dystopias are the themes of this exhibition at the Riverside Gallery in Richmond. Encompassing a wide range of media such as painting, drawing, photomontage, fused and painted glass, digital art and sculpture, Brave New Worlds brings together a collection of 25 works by local and national artists.

For centuries, artists and writers such as Hieronymus Bosch, Sir Thomas More and Aldous Huxley have explored ideas of utopianism and its dark, antithesis. As we move forward, widespread technological advancement, industrial expansion, and increased consumerism continue to affect our daily lives and change our environments both in positive and destructive ways. Fantastical Utopias are often upheld as idyllic retreats from the dystopian realities we face domestically and globally.  

This exhibition offers varied perspectives on the theme of Utopias and Dystopias: the unchartered territories of dreams and reverie, imagined Orwellian societies and otherworldly, alien realms. Alongside the imaginary and spiritual, inspiration has been drawn from everyday life - the news, popular culture, films, and novels. Reactions to war and violence, the destruction of natural environments, the power of politics, media, and propaganda, and the adverse effects of materialism also feature as important themes in many of the works.  

Exhibiting artists include: Lulu Allison, Gareth Barnett, Samuel Capps, Raquel Helena Louro Felgueiras, Gareth Gardener, Catherine Hargreaves, Martin Kerrison, Neil Metzner, Tutte Newall, Patrick O’Donnell, Charles Pearson, Nick Pollen, Paul Richards, and Alex Storer.

Curator of Exhibitions and Collections Mark De Novellis states: “This potent theme has captured the imagination of artists for centuries. Where formerly, western artists would depict visions of Arcadian Edens and cataclysmic scenes of Judgment Day, contemporary artists have translated these concepts to reflect the here and now, while revealing our hopes and fears of possible worlds and potential futures.”