ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

STATE OF THE ART

February Tones, Clifton Contemporary, 1 –25 February Work by gallery artists including Masako Tobita and Robert Jones. Far from colourless, the rich earthy tones, restless skies and skeletal trees of February reflect the raw beauty of late winter, when nature is on the cusp of spring. From 1 – 25 February, the gallery will be showing a range of work by artists who really understand and harness this invigorating rawness. Through the beautifully observed paintings of Tony Scrivener, Parastoo Ganjei, Robert Jones, Masako Tobita and others, you can feel a latent world beginning to stir once more.

• cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk

Image: Snowdrops by Tony Scrivener

Polly Braden: Holding the Baby, Arnolfini, 19 February to 12 June

From the Mountains to the Sea, Lime Tree Gallery, 10 February –10 March Lime Tree Gallery’s latest exhibition includes a mix of beautiful landscape and seascape paintings across a variety of media. Some of the highlights include a new series of arresting acrylic paintings by Welsh artist Sian McGill; powerful Scottish scenes by Zanna Wilson, Alexander Robb and Marion Thomson; skilful egg tempera works by Andrew Scott George; and Northumberland landscapes in oil by Robert Newton. Artist Ulla Ohlson has also contributed abstract unframed lithographs of Swedish landscapes.

• limetreegallery.com

Image: Caerfai by Sian McGill

Polly Braden presents Holding the Baby, an exhibition of new photography that creates a powerful and moving portrait of the impact of austerity measures on families across the UK. Braden’s participatory project, which began life at the Museum of the Home, features families from Bristol, London and Liverpool, including photographic portraits and narrated stories, highlighting the lived experience, strength, and resilience of single parents. Inspired and provoked by a United Nations report which stated that single parents have been hardest hit by UK austerity measures, Braden’s collaborative photographs – some taken during lockdown by the parents themselves – capture the families’ sense of adventure, optimism, creativity and ambition, that transcends the often difficult situations they face. Accompanied by excerpts from conversations between the families and journalist Sally Williams, and reflections on the idea of ‘home’ drawn together by writer Claire-Louise Bennett, Braden captures individual’s stories, highlighting the universality of their lives.

• arnolfini.org.uk

Image: Barbeline and Elijah, Holding the Baby, London 2021, Polly Braden

A Lifelong Passion for Design: Ken Stradling at 100, 12 February - 7 May This exhibition will be the first time the gallery tells the full story of Ken Stradling's extraordinary life through his amazing collection of 20th Century design. The gallery is the product of sixty years spent transforming a small craft shop into the cultural icon that is the Bristol Guild. Sparkling colour from the 60s, witty statements about art and life, the gorgeous earthy textures of craft pottery, this exhibition is a wonderful mixture of the elegant one-off art piece and the everyday and ordinary, picked out and given value by Ken. Craft ceramics and glass from people who became his friends accompany high quality furniture, glass imported through visits to Scandinavia, quirky toys and playful pieces, which caught his fancy.

• stradlingcollection.org Image: Ken Stradling

Wildlife Photographer of the Year, M Shed, throughout February

On loan from the Natural History Museum in London, Wildlife Photographer of the Year – the most prestigious photography event of its kind – showcases exceptional images of animal behaviour, spectacular species, and the breath-taking diversity of the natural world. This year’s competition saw a record-breaking number of entries from professional and amateur photographers from 95 countries. Each entry was judged anonymously on its creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts. The exhibition will be on display at M Shed until 5 June before embarking on an international tour.

• Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London; bristolmuseums.org.uk

Image: High-flying jay by Lasse Kurkela, Finland, Winner, 15-17 Years; Lasse Kurkela/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Grayson’s Art Club, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, until 4 September During lockdown, Grayson Perry – one of Britain’s leading artists –helped the nation find comfort and company through art in his critically acclaimed Channel 4 series, Grayson’s Art Club. Each week on Zoom, Grayson and his wife, Philippa, spoke to famous artists and creatives about how they were spending their time and invited them to respond creatively to lockdown. Alongside artists, the couple asked celebrity guests including Boy George, Derren Brown, Johnny Vegas and Alex Horne to create brand new works of art in response to Grayson’s weekly themes – family, nature, food, dreams, work, and travel. The public were also invited to share their works and over 17,000 entries were submitted throughout the series in a vast range of mediums – from paintings and photography, to ceramics and textiles. Now, after a successful two series of the programme, an exhibition of the work has gone on display at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, where they will stay until 4 September 2022. Spread across three floors, the exhibition is a vibrant and poignant chronicle of lockdown and forms a lasting artistic record of the unique time the nation has lived through together. As well as three galleries to explore, works are interspersed within the permanent collection to create a trail throughout the museum.

• bristolmuseums.org.uk