On the evening of Thursday 18 October we opened our latest exhibition, Tim Fowler: The Ground. The launch drew in over 300 visitors who were the first to see the installation work in Leicester across all three galleries.
Tim Fowler is an artist best known for his immediately recognisable paintings that feature a palette of extremely bright and intense colours. He works intuitively, combining oil and acrylic with spray paint, enamel, graffiti inks, creating layered compositions that fizz with energy.
This exhibition, entitled ‘The Ground’, after the name that many Bajans give to their gardens, is Tim’s largest solo show to date and a personal exploration of the artist’s Bajan heritage, bringing together key pieces from an ongoing body of work that began in 2020. Inspired by the results of a DNA test, Tim started researching his family history, and then became fascinated by plants that have made a migratory journey similar to his own DNA: from West Africa via the Caribbean to the UK.
Following a significant period of research and development, Tim’s focus has shifted from plantation crops linked to the transatlantic slave trade, such as tobacco, cotton and indigo, to plants that were used by indigenous and enslaved communities for their practical and medicinal properties. Tim visited Barbados to see first-hand how communities there live with and make use of these plants, and upon his return he spent time with the University of Leicester’s Archives & Special Collections, looking at some of the earliest books that document plants from the Caribbean for a European audience.
The launch took place throughout the centre, opened by speeches from Attenborough Art Centre’s Director Andrew Fletcher which were received with cheers and woohooing from the excited crowd.
‘The Ground’ is part of Leicester Art Week, 8 – 17 November 2024. A festival of exhibitions and events with a visual arts focus that has been running since 2016, this year’s festival brings together organisations from across the city including StudioName, Churchgate Studios, LCB Depot, 2Queens, SoftTouch, Leicester Museum and Art gallery, Leicester Gallery at De Montfort University, Leicester Print Workshop and Phoenix.
On Friday 15 November, join Tim Fowler for a screening of a new documentary film that goes behind the scenes to explore the development of his new major exhibition. After the screening, Tim will be in conversation with Gita Joshi, an independent curator and founder of The Curator’s Salon. The gallery opening hours will be extended until 6:30pm for guests to view Tim’s work before the talk. Visit our website to learn more and book your free place.
Tim Fowler: The Ground will be open 18 October 2024 – 26 January 2025, free for all and open from 12pm every day.
