Event 04-16 May: New ArtHouse Jersey exhibition 'YourTopia'

ArtHouse Jersey publicly launches a brand new exhibition ‘YourTopia’ at its Headquarters at Greve de Lecq Barracks on Tuesday 4th May.

This is the inaugural exhibition by the artist collective the ‘Fernweh Vision’ and will explore the future possibilities of two parallel environments, inspired by the ideas of utopia and dystopia.

It will offer visitors the opportunity to step into these worlds and immerse themselves in a variety of multi-dimensional works. The collective tells us to be prepared for YourTopia to be a different kind of exhibition, one that gives visitors an experience of the future in the hope that it will encourage us to reflect on the present.

Rather than focusing on today’s environmental climate status, the Fernweh Vision, made up of artists George Crane, Richard Crane and Dylan Kempster-Smyth, have chosen to delve into the unknown of the future and all its heavenly, or worrying, possibilities. Creating a fictitious utopia and dystopia has given the artists the opportunity to present a comparison between these two different worlds.

The exhibition is spread over two spaces, with each respective ‘Topia’ (place) being given its own room. The dystopian space brings to life an apocalyptic landscape, one where our present day fears of destructive behaviour and greed have become a reality. The utopian space exists in polarity, it is more persuasive and idealistic. Both worlds are connected and exist in parallel.

Collective member George Crane said, “We have brought together a group of dynamic young creatives over the course of the past few months. Each artist brings a different set of skills and experiences and the collective has developed a strong collaborative method of practice formed between fellow artists, friends, siblings and new acquaintances, all uniting over common creative ground. Our desire is to make work with a strong connection to the earth and its potential.”

Director of ArtHouse Jersey Tom Dingle said, “We received the proposal for YourTopia through our ‘Covid Commissions’ call-out last Autumn. We were looking for inspiring and thought provoking projects that could appeal to a wide audience.

“We quickly recognised the YourTopia exhibition concept had great potential. It also lends itself perfectly to our two identical studio spaces at The Barracks, providing the ideal blank canvases to create these visual opposing worlds.

“The Fernweh Vision artists have shown impressive dedication and enthusiasm during the creation of this show. We can’t wait to see what the public thinks of this colourful, immersive and environmentally-conscious experience”