RSVP to the preview: Tuesday 4 March, 6.30 – 8.30pm
This exhibition brings together the work of the six Freelands Studio Fellows – Dominic McKeown, Edie Evans, Lou Blakeway, Pippa El-Kadhi Brown, Rachel Wharton, Tia Maria Taylor Berry – marking the end of a year-long programme of studio practice, teaching and mentorship.
Each artist has spent a year as an artist-fellow, working within one of six partner universities across the UK: Bath Spa University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, The University of Brighton, Ulster University, Belfast and University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Enfold, Unfurl is a window onto the creative enquiries undertaken over the last year. It explores the entanglement of ideas and materiality which are facilitated by the environment of the studio, within the specific context of an art school. As such, the exhibition and the accompanying publication consider how a practice is cultivated between artworks and act as a record for the artists’ time spent in the distinctive role as a Freelands Studio Fellow.
While some of the works presented directly reference the materiality of folding and furling – a concertina sketchbook, cardboard models of castles, a swathe of fabric – the title of the exhibition is primarily a reflection of the journey that the fellows have been on; the enfolding of time, thinking, teaching and making into each practice, and the unfurling of ideas, approaches and artworks that this has precipitated.
Banner image: Rachel Wharton, studio detail of drawings on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Visitor information
Exhibition | 5 – 22 March 2025 | Open Wednesdays, 2–6pm, Thursdays – Saturdays, 12–6 pm.
To plan your visit, read our visitor information here.
Walkthrough | Wednesday 5 March, 6.30–8pm
Join exhibiting artists for an informal tour of the exhibition, during which they will discuss their practice and introduce the artworks developed through their studio fellowships. Register to attend here.
About Freelands Studio Fellowships
Fellowships were once a staple part of the landscape of art education, providing a first step into teaching for emerging artists. These positions were a vital stage in many artists’ careers, enabling them to develop their own practice, while gaining experience delivering tutorials and lectures.
A fellowship provides an environment in which an artist and art students can build a symbiotic relationship. As well as offering students immediate insight into an early career practice, working alongside art students can also afford an emerging artist the opportunity to examine their own working methods and practice.
In 2021, Freelands Foundation launched a two-year pilot of Painting Fellowships in partnership with the Bath School of Art, Film and Media, Bath Spa University; School of Art and Media, University of Brighton; and Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2023, the Studio Fellowships expanded to six host organisations across the UK, with additional partnerships with Belfast School of Art, Ulster University; Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University; and Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
