Women Artists and the Land, a discussion

This evening in August we are aiming to have a wide-ranging discussion about the role of women artists working with and from the land. Following from their recent appearance talking about Land Art in general, at Holt bookshop, two of the most engaging and well informed experts and writers in this field are coming to continue to talk with us from a different perspective

Land Art

Since the late 1960s, land art has occupied an important place in the history of contemporary art. The movement transformed ideas about where sculpture could exist, shifting artistic practice beyond the gallery into deserts, coastlines, quarries and open landscapes. Its best-known history, however, has largely been shaped by a relatively small number of artists, mainly American, whose ambitious interventions became iconic works of twentieth-century art

Women artists and the land

Over the past ten years, it has become increasingly clear to us that many women artists have made a particularly significant contribution to this expanded understanding of land art..

GroundWork’s current exhibition brings together three artists whose practices differ greatly in appearance but share a remarkable sensibility. Julie Brook, Harriet Hellman and Lotte Scott work with stone, clay, fire, charcoal, lime and light, yet none treats these materials as inert matter. Each recognises that the land possesses its own agency and history. Their works emerge through careful observation, physical labour and a profound respect for the environments in which they are made.

The Speakers

Dr Amanda Geitner was Curator at the Mead Gallery, University of Warwick, from 1995 to 1998, and then Chief Curator at the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, until 2015. C urrently DFirector of East Anglian Art Fund, Amanda completed a PhD by practice, Roger Ackling: Work and Teaching, with University Arts London and Norwich University of the Arts

Veronica Sekules is director of GroundWork Gallery and is an art historian, writer, environmentalist. She is chair of King’s Lynn Cultural Steering Group.

Ben Tufnell is a writer and curator based in London. Formerly Director of exhibitions at Haunch of Venison Gallery, London and subsequently Director of Parafin Gallery. Author of many books including Land Art, 2006 Tate Publishing and In Land: Writings around Land Art and Its Legacies, Zero Books, 2019. Has recently published two novels which he spoke about in King's Lynn at our event for Norfolk and Norwich Festival in May.

Headline image: Restless Earth, ceramic by Harriet Hellman