Exhibitions

Tim Neath has carefully crafted a sprawling model world using recycled cardboard and craft materials. The scenes are populated with dated vintage action figurines, set for an epic encounter on a miniature scale. Immersing the viewer in the imagery of Hollywood film, the piece unpicks the politics of the science fiction and Western genres, in particular the idea of Manifest Destiny: the belief that colonial expansion by American settlers was the will of God.

Tim Neath is an artist based at 2 Queens in Leicester and was commissioned by Attenborough Arts Centre to support him in the completion of this long-term project.

Exhibitions, performance, music, writing and film and much more will animate cultural spaces and unusual places, presenting the work of over 50 practitioners at the leading edge of contemporary arts. In parallel, 20 artists will take up residence in Leicester; participating in collaborative ‘weekenders’ which will investigate   ‘sustainability’, ‘placemaking’ and ‘common interest’, respectively.  The overall programme will put a spotlight on Leicester’s geographic creative clusters; taking audiences on an immersive journey across spaces and art forms, and encouraging conversation through Q&As and tours. All events are free.

Mik Godley is an artist and art school lecturer based in Nottingham. He is a painter who makes work using both traditional analogue painting techniques and digital iPad technology. His ongoing body of work ‘Considering Silesia’ was initiated in 2003, and explores the artist’s Anglo-German heritage, cultural memory, displacement and migration.  

‘Considering Silesia’ observes the context of our evolving relationship with the internet, which increasingly enables us to virtually “visit” parts of the world and connect with strangers without leaving home. Despite having never visited his mother’s homeland, Lower Silesia, Mik’s work documents the landscape and architecture of the region through images, video footage and maps found online. 

The selection of works presented in this exhibition at Attenborough Arts Centre form just a small part of this major body of work that has occupied the artist for over 15 years. Alongside major paintings and digital works, there will also be a selection of small sketches and works on paper that give further insight into how the project has developed over time, through Mik’s own evolving artistic practice and the technological developments that have offered increasingly detailed and immersive experiences of physically distant places and people.