At the Nottingham Contemporary is an exhibition that celebrates art and knowledge of caves around the world and since beneath Nottingham are over 800 caves, it seemed only fitting to place the exhibition here. The exhibition itself consists of work by more than 50 artists in 150 pieces and is split up into 5 gallery spaces, each holding a piece of the subterranean world. The Threshold, the wall, the dark, the city and the deep.
Walking into each space you can get a feeling of each part of the caves based on the title, but walking into The Wall, I was faced by a use and spectacular installation by Sofia Borges. It depicted murals of caves and photographic assemblages, creating a breathtaking and spectacular entrance. It is titled 'Nothingness' and the artist said in regards to this piece 'Caves are at the root of my research... Nature and culture aren't separate. So much of my work is about the place beyond the visual.'
The rest of this space consisted of beautiful depictions of cave paintings, of art that replicated the walls of a cavern or a cave, different textures and moods.
Following the trail through 'The Dark' I came across a creative and ingenius scene in 'The City' created by Goshka Macuga, accompanied by various other artists within his space. It was like walking through a man made cave, made from paper and packaging materials, walking down you are faced with a the question 'What if there's no one there?' The use of lighting in this installation really brings about the texture and mood of the cave, yet it has a fun, child-like quality to it, if not for the disturbing imagery inside, I would perhaps think I was stepping into a child's fort made from paper and cardboard boxes, perhaps relaying the emotion of home and size in the view of a child.
The exhibition was refreshing and extraordinary with many artists coming together, old and new to help others experience the wonder, terror and natural beauty of caves. It is an exhibition I highly recommend others visit.
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