I was greeted by a buzzing atmosphere as Worcester College opened its annual art exhibition for the second year this week after a whopping four months of preparation. Running from 1-5 May and boasting over 40 artists from across Oxford, the exhibition showcases an incredibly diverse range of artistic disciplines, from printmaking to textiles to film, while the opening night itself saw some amazing live performances of music and spoken word poetry. If you haven’t yet planned to stop by, it’s absolutely worth the visit.
The opening night celebrations commenced in the Linbury building, where the May Day breeze through the open doors and the murmur of conversation created the perfect summer atmosphere. I have to admit I was a little unsure of what to do with myself, since I was visiting alone and everyone seemed to be talking to someone, so I tried to look busy by standing in front of one of the exhibits. It was a piece by Sonya Robinson: I particularly liked her incorporation of newspaper collage in the piece, and overall the painting was evocative and dynamic. As guests enjoyed the selection of drinks and canapés, David Ning and Adrienne Knight played piano solos. Conversations tailed off as Knight performed an original song, ‘There Will Always Be a Part of Me’, to an audience of entranced faces and when the set came to a close, the audience trickled towards the chapel for the next performances of the night.
The chapel performances were a particular hit. A world away from the main quad’s setting summer sun, the intimate candlelight of Worcester’s Gothic-style chapel made the perfect setting for the dramatic organ solo played by Queens’s Henry Coop. Following this, two spoken word performances by Charlee Wedderburn-Bolton and Rosa Arthur—of Worcester College and Wadham College respectively—were resounding favourites. Speaking to Charlee later in the night, I really enjoyed learning about the experience of writing poetry. Each set was personal and emotional: I think there is something about reading your own poetry aloud that makes it intensely more intimate and the whole room was captivated.
The Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, which hosts the main exhibition, was the place to be as the evening wore on. Visitors enjoyed the wealth of creativity behind the many different art installations while singers Thea Ralph and Sam Newman serenaded the crowd from the auditorium. Thea Ralph has taken to the stage twice this week, having also performed to a jam-packed audience at Wadstock 2023 just this Saturday, and it was a delight to experience again. Bands Emergency Steps, Eucalyptus, and Little Clarendon all received resounding applause throughout the night.
Of course, the main attraction was the gallery itself, which did not disappoint. The creative use of media across the pieces really attested to the wide range of talent throughout Oxford. Where one artwork used Lino cuts, another made use of collage, wood or film. Audiences were also shown massive versatility in the textiles medium, from Isobel Brinkley’s giant fabric fried egg installation, titled ‘Barbies Ovaries’, to Laura Flenly’s knitted ‘Duck with Knife’. Overall, the thought and personality behind each piece made the gallery an intensely personal experience. This, I think, represents one of the main purposes of an exhibition, celebrating art as a fluid exchange of ideas and creativity. Though, admittedly, I sometimes had to consult the programme to understand a piece’s intended meaning, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition.
If it were possible to name-drop every artist, I would. Since it is not, I encourage you to discover them yourself at Exhibition 002, on display in Worcester’s Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre until the 5 May. A celebration of the many great artists around Oxford, Exhibition 002 was a wonderful end to May Day and a brilliant start to summer.