Nick Goss Jim Wallis
Nick Goss

Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) has been taken over by huge canvases and soundscapes which draw visitors into the watery world of international artist Nick Goss.

New exhibition: Nick Goss, Mud Angels has opened to critical acclaim at THG in Honiton. This new series of paintings and works on paper by artist Nick Goss layer and combine screen-print with painting and a heightened colour palette that borders on that of a dream or apparition.

Water and deluges are a reoccurring theme in Goss’ practice with a rich connection to art history and literature. In particular, JG Ballard’s 1962 apocalyptic novel The Drowned World, is a constant influence on his work in its descriptions of London as a tropical lagoon, overgrown by nature.

The exhibition title Mud Angels references the collective effort of young, international volunteers who, in 1966, assembled in Florence to rescue works of art from a flood which engulfed the city in mud. Traces of this act of solidarity surface in a painting in the exhibition, alongside other works that sample images from the 1953 de Ramp floods in the Netherlands, where Goss’ Dutch relatives were among thousands forced to evacuate.

THG has commissioned Goss and multi-instrumentalist Jim Wallis to compose a soundtrack that will permeate the spaces of the exhibition and resonate with the paintings. This collaboration follows on from their album Pool released last year, and is the first time Goss, who is also a musician, has combined sound within one of his exhibitions.

The exhibition reminds us that climate change and coastal erosion are making us consider serious social and environmental change. In East Devon, this change is taking the form of communities working collaboratively to make their local rivers and coasts more resilient to flooding, while supporting the natural world, including creating new wetlands and restoring flood plains.

THG has announced a one-off 'Painting Water Workshop' to be led by Nick Goss on 23 April. This is a remarkable opportunity to work with one of Britain's most exciting contemporary painters and gain an insight into his practice.

Nick Goss commented:

I am really excited to be working in East Devon. It is a beautiful landscape and I have been really inspired by the Jurassic Coast.

A further special programme of coordinating performances and workshops has been announced by Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG), which includes:

As part of his national tour, composer-pianist Larkhall will present a show combining new classical piano compositions with live visuals created by his music as he plays. Music, visual art and technology collide in Larkhall’s moving, cinematic performance.

Larkhall is a composer, pianist and creative coder. He has written software to turn the nuances of each performance into reactive visual projections. His harmonious music has earned accolades from across Europe and the USA, with his 2019 debut album The Sea Was Never Blue reaching the #2 spot on the iTunes Classical chart.
His performances have been described as “vividly beautiful,” and “enchanting” (Hämeenkyrön Sanomat / Chicago Sun-Times).

Larkhall performance
2 April, 6-7pm
£12 (£10 THG Friends/Students). Book tickets

Painting Water Workshop with Nick Goss
23 April, 1-4pm.
£12 (£10 THG Friends/Students). Book tickets

Nick Goss, Mud Angels
Exhibition continues until 14 May.
Open Wednesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm.