Photography isn’t always as represented in art galleries as it ought to be, often sidelined for classical paintings, sculptures or more conventional artistic pieces. But turn up the resolution and blow those images up, and you may be left with something far more captivating than you had imagined.
LAND Photographs by Matthew Conduit features a range of landscape depictions all captured by the aforementioned photographer. Taken across the country and across natural landscapes, the exhibit aims to show off the true beauty of the natural world with high resolution photographs, printed to large sizes across two showcase rooms within the Graves Gallery. With a focus on areas recolonised by nature following industrialisation, the highlight of these interacting worlds is at the forefront of what this exhibit wants us to see.
This felt like quite a small collection when considered all together, with only around fifteen total pieces making up the entire exhibition, but when you start to walk around, you definitely don’t feel as though it is minimal. The depths of detail in every single piece is simply enchanting. I remember looking at the first and thinking that the image was three-dimensional, with each an unexpected optical illusion making it seem as though there is depth to the images in the room, even when there isn’t. And in my surprise, I found myself simply stunned by the natural beauty of each picture and how well it translated to a flat image. I had never expected the pieces to look quite as beautiful as they did.
So many of these pieces had me in awe but none more so than ‘Alum #1 Sandsend’ from 2019, because this piece not only shows incredibly detail but also the intricate beauty that colour brings, especially when unexpected and mixed with colours we may have been more prepared for. The shining blues in the background and the oranges complement the rest of the colours in this meadow-like scene and is such a stunning piece to behold.
These photographs are some of the best I’ve seen of the natural world. The colour, the detail, the story behind each and every one of them is inspiring and I wish that I had come to see them sooner. Be sure to catch this exhibition before it closes, these aren’t pieces you’re going to want to miss!
Rating: ★★★★★
LAND Photographs by Matthew Conduit is on display in Graves Gallery until June 15th
