New exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary
Next month Nottingham Contemporary will be opening doors to a new exhibition that is sure to get anyone riveted with intrigue. It is called Hollow Earth: Art, Caves & The Subterranean Imaginary and here is what you need to know about the upcoming exhibition in Nottingham.
It is well documented that Nottingham is sat on top of a shadow city that consists of around one thousand sandstone caves that date back to the Middle Ages. Hollow Earth is an exhibition that spans the work of fifty artists and collectives and as it descends into the depths of the caves the aim is to open the mind to the prehistory, myth, ritual and future that is within this hidden city.
Throughout the history of mankind cultures and religions have stories about what dwells in caves. They are perceived to be the locations for events that sometimes cannot be explained. Caves are places of experiences that are sacred as well as seeded in dark folklore too. However in more recent years caves are used in more modern ways, people have turned caves into bunkers and computer companies have been known to turn them into data farms and seed vaults due to the vast amount of space they can possess.
For years, caves have seemed to wielded a pull on artists, it is even said in some artist circles that caves themselves housed some of the earliest art studios and even the first ever museum. When rock paintings were first discovered, caves became more than a hole in the ground, they became an inspired space of revelation and creativity. Since the mid 1940’s artists have associated caves with a prehistoric creative space where multiple forms of art could be not only created but exhibited in also.
Nottingham Contemporary describes the Hollow Earth exhibition as follows “Mapping both specific sites and imaginary underworlds, Hollow Earth considers why and how so many artists, musicians and filmmakers have been drawn below. Organised in collaboration with Hayward Gallery Touring, the exhibition brings together painting, sculpture, photography, archives and architectural proposals, film and music from the last 50 years, with a number of new commissions. In 2023, the exhibition will tour to The Glucksman in Cork and to RAMM in Exeter.”
Hollow Earth: Art, Caves & The Subterranean Imaginary will run at Nottingham Contemporary from Sat 24 September 2022 – Sun 22 January 2023.
If you’re visiting Nottingham and need somewhere to stay, Mercure Nottingham City Centre is less than a five minute walk from Nottingham Contemporary and has a lovely selection of rooms and customisable amenities to choose from so you are able to curate your stay with us however suits you best. We look forward to welcoming you to our family friendly 4* hotel in Nottingham!
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