Join Isabel Seligman from the British Museum for a fascinating talk with artist Charmaine Watkiss at Abbot Hall.
At this special event, artist Charmaine Watkiss will be in conversation with Isabel Seligman, Monument Trust Curator of Modern and Contemporary Drawing at The British Museum.
Charmaine Watkiss examines history and cultural tradition through the unifying language of plants and their properties. Inspired by archival research, Watkiss explores the interconnectivity between ancestry, botany and cosmology. Using her own likeness as a way to reflect collective experiences, the artist refers to her works as ‘memory stories’.
Through the process of drawing, Watkiss uses a variety of materials to form multi-layered narratives. Each work represents the intertwining of people and nature, exploring the wisdom and shared histories of both plant and human life.
Her exhibition, Legacy at Abbot Hall is the largest gathering of Watkiss’ work in a public gallery and includes a new body of drawings. This recent work has been informed by the artist’s extensive research into historic botanical collections, including a recent fellowship responding to the work of naturalist, physician and slave owner Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753).
About Charmaine:
Charmaine Watkiss is an artist living and working in London. Her notable exhibitions include: In Praise of Black Errantry, Palazzo Pisani S. Marina (During the 60th Venice Biennial, 2024)l; O Quilombismo, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin 2023; Liverpool Biennial, 2023;Spirit in the Land, Nasher Museum at Duke University, 2023; The Wisdom Tree, Leeds Art Gallery, 2022; Drawing attention: emerging British artists group show at the British Museum, 2022; and Breakfast Under the Tree, curated by Russel Tovey, a group show at Carl Freedman Gallery 2021.
Her work is held in private and public collections including:
The British Museum, London UK; The Government Art Collection, London UK; Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford UK; Abbot Hall Museum, Kendal and Nasher Museum at Duke University, Durham NC USA, Katrin Bellinger collection.
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Address
Abbot Hall, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL
01539 637940
Opening times
Opening times
10am-4pm, Wednesday - Saturday
Annual closure dates:
25 – 26 December 2024
We close for two weeks collection care and maintenance at the start of January every year.
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