Dulwich Picture Gallery has announced a new exhibition exploring landscape art for 2024

Dulwich Picture Gallery explores new frontiers in landscape art with leading contemporary voices opening in February 2024.

Image: Mónica de Miranda, Sun rise (detail), 2023, inkjet print on cotton paper. Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid.

In 2024, Dulwich Picture Gallery will present Soulscapes, a significant exhibition that aims to redefine landscape art. Featuring the works of more than 30 contemporary artists, including well-known names like Hurvin Anderson, Phoebe Boswell, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, as well as emerging talents, the exhibition will explore various art forms like painting, photography, film, tapestry, and collage.

Soulscapes offers a fresh perspective on our relationship with the natural world, as seen through the lens of artists from the African Diaspora. It goes beyond the visual aspects of landscapes and delves into themes such as belonging, memory, joy, and transformation. The exhibition starts by examining how our connection with nature influences our sense of identity and safety. Hurvin Anderson's Limestone Wall takes us to the lush foliage of Jamaica, highlighting the artist's ancestral roots.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Cassava Garden, 2015, acrylic, transfers, colour pencil, charcoal and commemorative fabric on paper, 182.88 x 152.4 cm © Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Photo: Robert Glowacki.

As the exhibition unfolds, it delves into the intersection of landscapes and memory. Njideka Akunyili Crosby's Cassava Garden intricately weaves together elements from fashion magazines, Nigerian pop culture, and personal family photos, creating a vivid representation of a hybrid cultural identity. Additionally, Phoebe Boswell's site-specific installation, I Dream of a Home I Cannot Know, documents life in Zanzibar, a place of profound significance for the artist.

Image: Kimathi Mafafo, Unforeseen Journey of Self-Discovery, 2020, Hand and Machine Embroidered Fabric, 112 x 98cm. Image courtesy of the artist / Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery.

Soulscapes also celebrates the simple joy and pleasure that landscapes can bring. Kimathi Donkor's Idyl series captures Black subjects in serene natural settings, offering a glimpse of everyday happiness. Che Lovelace's vibrant paintings, The Climber and Moonlight Searchers, transport viewers to the Caribbean, where the vibrant colours and lively scenes come to life.

Lastly, the exhibition emphasises the healing and renewing power of nature. Alberta Whittle's works focus on self-compassion and collective care as essential tools in addressing issues related to anti-Blackness. Kimathi Mafafo's Unforeseen Journey of Self-Discovery portrays a woman emerging from a cocooned veil into the healing embrace of the natural world.

Image: Hurvin Anderson, Limestone Wall, 2020. © Hurvin Anderson. Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo by Richard Ivey.

Curated by Lisa Anderson, Managing Director of the Black Cultural Archives and founder of Black British Art, Soulscapes emerged during a time of lockdowns and increased conversations about racial equality and social justice. Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, expressed enthusiasm for the exhibition's innovative approach to landscape art, highlighting its contemporary relevance and universal potential for healing, reflection, and belonging. Soulscape promises to offer a thought-provoking exploration of our relationship with nature and its impact on our lives.

Date: 14 February–2 June 2024.   Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AD. Click here to subscribe for ticket updates.