Sussex Artists Return to Glyndebourne

Glyndebourne has announced the return of its annual autumn exhibition of Sussex-based artists, Fair Ground. The exhibition opens on 10th October to coincide with the start of nine weeks of opera, concerts, recitals and masterclasses taking place as part of the opera house’s autumn season. 

Featuring 16 contemporary artists working in print, painting, ceramics, stained glass and textiles, Fair Ground is a celebration of Sussex’s rich artistic output. Each featured work speaks to themes of personal mythology, collective memory, and Sussex’s natural landscape, reinforcing the region’s reputation as a place of visual poetry.

Participating artists include Dawn Aldridge, Amy Austin, Cas Campbell, Joseph Dilnot, Pippa El-Kadhi Brown, May Everett, Síomha Harrington, Alexi Marshall, Eleanor Mills, Eva Murray, Jacqui Parker, Richard Phoenix, Rukmini Reddy Sen, Sophie Shribman-Hollings, Alice Walter and Carla Wright.

Landscape

The title Fair Ground is an homage to Rudyard Kipling’s renowned 1902 poem, Sussex. Originally launched as an online exhibition in 2020, the event emerged in response to the challenging circumstances faced by artists during the COVID-19 pandemic and it stands as a steadfast supporter of artists at all stages of their careers. 

William Noel Clarke, curator of exhibitions and events at Glyndebourne, said: ‘This year, Fair Ground moves away from a purely landscape representation of Sussex, and instead begins to explore the stories of artists working in the region. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to discover artists at different points in their careers, from emerging to established, and to those with no formal art training. We welcome back a number of artists who have previously shown as part of the exhibition such as Joseph Dilnot, who explores uncertainty and hidden magic, and Dawn Aldridge, who works at Glyndebourne as part of the gardening team. We’ve also invited a number of recent graduates from the BA and MFA Fine Arts programme at Brighton University to exhibit, including Jacqui Parker, whose misty dense interpretations of the British woodland produced in charcoal leave viewers with a sense of unease. Sussex is home to an incredible number of talented artists and we’re delighted to be showcasing that fact this autumn.’

• All artworks are available for purchase with prices starting from from £90, providing a unique opportunity to invest in both emerging and established artists.
• A Private View of this year’s Fair Ground exhibition will take place on Friday 11 October between 6.00pm-8.00pm. Please RSVP at artandcollections@glyndebourne.com should you wish to attend.

The visual arts have been an integral part of the Glyndebourne experience since the inception of its annual summer opera festival in 1934. The opera house now regularly curates exhibitions of contemporary art and sculpture, as well as material from Glyndebourne’s extensive collections. 

Fair Ground will be available to view at Glyndebourne from 10 October to 15 December for ticket holders for Glyndebourne’s autumn events and by appointment. Fair Ground will also be available to view online at glyndebourne.com/fairground. All the works in the exhibition are available to buy and prices start at £90.

Find out more about the autumn season at Glyndebourne at glyndebourne.com/autumn.

See also: Sound & Vision from Art on a Postcard

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