Penrith Rheged gallery holds 25th anniversary exhibition

An art gallery is marking a quarter of a century since it opened with an exhibition featuring 25 artists.

Twenty Five & Onwards, staged at Rheged in Penrith, includes painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics and textiles by artists selected from across Cumbria.

Many have previously displayed pieces at the venue, while others have been chosen as emerging talents.

Organisers said it takes inspiration from Rheged’s first show, which was titled Twelve and featured work by a dozen people, and the gallery “wanted to honour the incredible artists who have been a key part of our story so far”.

“This exhibition is both a celebration of the past and an exciting look ahead to the future of art in Cumbria,” curator Claire Harrison said.

Derek Eland, who is among those whose work is on display, said Rheged had “never shied away from giving contemporary artists in Cumbria a high-quality platform to exhibit interesting and sometimes challenging work”.

His contributions include Lakeland paintings as well as items produced following time spent in Ukraine.

The free-to-enter exhibition is open daily and runs until 1 February.