This beautiful dual exhibition was held at Candie Museums ‘Greenhouse Gallery’. An exhibition displaying an expression from two artists with family ties in the growing industry in Guernsey.
Through this show, the pair have celebrated the grass roots of the land in an eclectic, universal manner, combining traditional painting methods with contemporary abstractive works to question and highlight a dying industry and decaying roots.
The exhibition comprehended multiple interactive works, including a printed map of Guernsey by Digimaps, where Emma allowed people had access to put a sticker on their family or personal greenhouses were, and write a story on the potting table.
Another engaging piece was James’ ‘Mefi-ous A Lane (beware of the donkey), a mixed media assemblage utilising found objects and materials from deteriorating vineries. This assemblage took form as a hedge veg, where James created an honesty box, selling zines looking at the cultural and environmental significance of roadside stalls, interviewing and recording sellers perspectives and documenting the changes in time and materials of the quaint commerce.
In order to engage all aspects of the community and spread the love of our green roots, James, with Emma’s graphical assistance, created 5 ‘Mini-Veg’ scavenger boxes. These hedge-veg stylised boxes acted as guerilla marketing for the show, but also kickstarted a trail for people to find a hidden word, spread across 5 different locations, in 5 different unique wooden boxes. Once completed by the participator, they were able to cash in their found word at the show, where they were gifted a packet or two of seeds, provided by grow.ltd.
Overall this show has been a huge success, recalling stories from all demographics with such a tangible heartthrob felt curated throughout the space. This exhibition has brought so many growers and makers together under one umbrella: green living, a potent connection to mother nature and how we can utilise her resources to aid one another and share stories through art.
James Kail 