Phoenix Gallery re-opened its refurbished spaces with a solo exhibition by the internationally renowned artist Tania Kovats who is best known for producing sculptures, large-scale installations, drawings and temporal works which explore our experience and understanding of landscape.

Water has been a central theme in Kovats recent work, which has focused on the sea, river systems, maritime culture, flooding, tides, and the horizon line and incorporates the implicit socio-political and environmental associations.

Troubled Waters featured the haunting sculptural work Bleached, which reflects on the remote but urgent issue of coral bleaching, and new drawings inspired by the artist’s on-going interest in marine biologist Rachel Carson’s seminal 1953 book The Sea Around Us and by 19th century Devon-based naturalist Henry Gosse’s coral drawings.

EXHIBITION PHOTOGRAPHS

Associated Events

Exhibition Preview | Sat 22 Sep | 3 – 5pm | Free

Join the artist for a glass of wine and a preview of the exhibition.

Artist’s Talk | Sat 20 Oct | 2.30pm | Free

Join the artist as she discusses the themes of her exhibition and wider practice in conversation with curator Lara Goodband.

Screening and Panel Discussion | Wed 7 Nov | 7pm | £7/£5*

Chasing Coral (2017) dir. Jeff Orlowski

A chance to see this stunning documentary in which a team of divers, photographers and scientists set out to discover why coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with artist Tania Kovats, coastal scientist Owen Day and Marine Biologist Dr. Laura Richardson from the University of Exeter.

Coral Sounds

Healthy coral reefs generate a surprising amount of sound and are one of the noisiest places in the ocean. Many marine animals use this sound to locate reefs, which are an important source of food and shelter.

In a resource created by Exeter School of Art student Trisha Filor for the exhibition, you can listen to the sound of both a healthy and degraded coral reef here >>

Venue: Phoenix Gallery, Exeter Phoenix