Join our Level 5 BA (Hons) Fine Art students as they host four exhibitions across Bournemouth and Poole, showcasing more than 100 pieces of work.
These exhibitions are the students' first opportunity to show their work in a public space, and receive feedback from an audience outside the University.
Exhibition details
Private View date: 30 April 2024, 18.30–20.00
Exhibition date: 1–12 May 2024
Location: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
The BA (Hons) Fine Art students at Arts University Bournemouth present Magpie, a unique exhibition responding to and embedded within the historic collection of The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum.
From 1–12 May, you can wander through the rooms and garden of the historic home and see the conversations created through the artists' work, in a space where Victorian meets contemporary.
Ranging across many disciplines you'll experience an array of artwork from 25 artists, who've used their individual creative language to explore their curiosities of the historical site and collection.
Private view date: 30 April 2024, 17.00–18.30
Exhibition date: Every Tuesday, 10.00–16.00 until 30 June 2024
Location: Bournemouth Natural Science Society, 39 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3NS
This exhibition at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society (BNSS), brings together works from a group of emerging artists working in a range of mediums and disciplines, creating a unique collaboration challenged with illuminating the complexity of our planet's ecosystems.
From the depths of the ocean to the heights of the sky, visitors will be immersed in a multi-sensory experience, interwoven within the museum, that celebrates the intricate interplay between humanity and nature. The title Metamorphose describes a change or transformation and much like a moth or butterfly emerging from the cocoon, this exhibition transforms the BNSS from a place of the past to a showcase of the artists of our future.
The BNSS was formed in 1903 with the aim of promoting the study of all branches of science and natural history. Its historic walls contain a menagerie of preserved specimens as well as extensive collections of fossils, rocks and minerals. The BNSS is also keen to embrace innovative ideas and continues to forge strong relationships with the local community, creating the perfect rich and inspiring environment for the artists to respond to in a fusion of artistry and scientific inquiry.
These pieces were created with assistance of first-hand observation within the BNSS as the artists delved into its drawers containing a plethora of curiosity igniting slides and precious artefacts. Developing a creative connection and dialogue with the unique collection encouraging the viewers to observe the museum in a new way.
From larger-than-life sculptures to intricate illustrations, each exhibit offers a fresh perspective on the diversity of life on Earth. In a world that’s continually obsessed with the new and man-made we invite you to explore, discover and connect with the natural world with a renewed sense of wonder.
Private view date: 1 May 2024, 17.00–19.00
Exhibition date: 1–8 May 2024
Location: Lighthouse, Poole, BH15 IUG
Water is at the heart of our being. We're made up of 65% water, and yet it seeps into aspects of our lives whilst mostly going unnoticed. Historically, water was, and still is, key for travel and transport, our goods arrive by shipping container. Water is studied by scientists and new discoveries are consistently being made, so many career opportunities have arisen in relation to water. We use water for play, education, hygiene, and even as a metaphor in our everyday language.
Reflections invites viewers to take a plunge into connections and relationships with water, where artists from AUB discuss themes including feminism, nature, history, sentimentality and politics.
Artists in this exhibition encapsulate the emotional quality of water, its sound and aura, its refreshing and rejuvenating qualities, water’s relationship with the body and mind, maritime connections, its history, and of course, its reflective nature. Viewers can expect surrealism, romanticism, wistfulness, nostalgia, as well as themes of immigration, leisure, war, sanctuary, travel, gender politics, ecology and global warming.
Guided by artworks which explore a variation of contextual ideas, this exhibition sets out to discuss water in its physical and metaphorical forms, as viewers are invited to be immersed and submerged.
Private view date: 2 May 2024, 16.00–18.00
Exhibition date: 3–5 May 2024
Location: Bournemouth Lower Gardens Mini Golf course, Bournemouth town centre
Vessels is a one-shot public exhibition of work created in response to the physical, thematic, cultural, and political context of the Bournemouth Lower Gardens Mini Golf course.
On display will be a menagerie of sculptural works produced by 10 emerging artists who've taken over the greens with sculptures that hope to entertain, unnerve, intrigue, and enchant visitors of all ages. Each hole tells its own story, but all works contain an awareness of the human form, of how we move through the world, and aim to challenge the physical nature of our own bodies.
Examining the place of recreational activities and areas of relaxation in our lives, the multiple contexts of mini golf, Victorian gardens, seaside towns and the UK in general. The artists invite visitors to play, think, reflect, and have created their work as vessels with room for their ideas and visitors’ ideas too.
