Eight female artists from London and the South East and West of England come together for an ambitious showcase in Stroud, Gloucestershire. With work ranging widely across sculpture, video, performance, and site responsive artworks, The Hide Installation and Sculpture Showcase (THISS) promises to deliver an exciting body of works in a beautiful location.
By Ruby Kester
THISS is an annual exhibition situated in the gardens of The Hide Artist Retreat and runs concurrent with the Stroud Valley Artspace SITE Festival. This year, curator and exhibiting artist Alice Sheppard Fidler is bringing together eight established female artists united by a common interest in exploring the human body’s connection to the environment, and a respectful approach to material waste. The artists have been invited to respond to themes of transience and impermanence, as what Alice recognises in this group is “a sensitivity to consumption… of the reusing and recycling of ideas, processes and materials…” With works verging on the humorously absurd and teetering in the realms of the unstable and vulnerable, Alice is eager to see what conversations result from placing these artists into a collective dialogue.
The garden itself is central to the exhibition – by placing the work within the context of a natural space an opportunity for transformation is provided, both of the work itself and of the audience’s relationship to it. Alice believes there’s something about the natural environment that is “…the absolute antithesis of the austerity of the white cube…” She is instead interested in providing the audience with a more embodied relationship to the art they’re viewing, as the act of being outside makes them vulnerable to the whims of uncontrollable weather, slipping in mud, or being warmed by the sun. Sculpture as well, through the very nature of its engagement of space in 3D, creates a specific relationship with the body of the viewer – the scale of a piece in relation to the human body; the act of moving around creating different viewpoints… sculpture creates artforms that are constantly in flux. Placing sculpture within a garden setting adds an element of surprise, allowing for moments and ways of seeing that even the artist themself could not have planned for.
Alice’s aim with the exhibition is not to provide people with answers, but for them to leave with more questions, to be engaged and inspired on any level. Experimental in nature, she wants to lose a focus on finished production: “The showcase isn’t about the done deal,” she says, “it’s about work in progress.” The artists themselves will be around the space at various points throughout the two weekends, available for conversation. There will also be a live performance each day by participating artist Emma Gregory, and for one day only artist and poet Ruby Kester will be Writer in Residence. “I hope it’s rich for people,” Alice finishes.
The Hide is an artist-led initiative that aims to encourage and nurture creativity and conversation through a dynamic programme of events. They look forward to welcoming the public to this latest exhibition, enabling them to discover new artists and ideas.
The Hide Artist Retreat, Gloucestershire
Exhibiting Artists: Abi Spendlove, Alice Shepard Fidler, Emma Gregory, Erika Trotzig, Freya Gabie, Jo Lathwood, Lucinda Burgess, and Sharon Wylde
Writer in Residence: Ruby Kester
Dates: 8th + 9th / 15th + 16th JUNE 2024 – 11am-6pm
The Floating Circle 