Dates: Wednesday 22 July – Thursday 30 July 2026
Location: Main Gallery, Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole
Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is delighted to collaborate with the Lighthouse, Poole to present WILD...LIFE – an exhibition of work by our graduating MA Fine Art students as part of the University's 2026 Postgraduate Summer Shows.
The exhibition explores what it means to live alongside, and within, the natural world.
Working across photography, sculpture, drawing, painting and socially engaged practice, the artists examine the overlooked and the discarded, considering waste, recycled materials, packaging and the ethics of consumption. Some works engage with the challenges of the Anthropocene, questioning our changing relationship with wildlife, wilderness and one another.
Other artists adopt the eye of the naturalist, or draw on craft and satire, asking whether the natural world possesses its own agency, consciousness or spirit. Elsewhere, the focus turns inward, exploring personal habits, the body, ageing, identity, and the responsibilities we hold to ourselves and our communities. Themes of isolation and loneliness are woven throughout, balanced by reflections on connection, care and moments of quiet contemplation.
Playful, political and deeply personal, WILD…LIFE invites audiences to consider what it means to notice – and to care – in an age of ecological uncertainty.
This exhibition will take place simultaneously with ELEVEN by our graduating MA Painting students.
Featured artists
MA Fine Art at Arts University Bournemouth
The MA Fine Art course at AUB offers a stimulating community of creative practice in which any curious individual can interrogate what art is, what it can do, and how best they can develop a meaningful artistic role.
It invites those of all backgrounds, life circumstances, ethnicities, neurodiversity and professional experience to embrace "play" as a driver for self-discovery and cultural transformation. The course also provides a grounding for students from art and non-art backgrounds, supporting practices that are multi-disciplinary and technologically innovative, alongside the discipline-specific such as drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking, painting, moving image or performance.
Postgraduate study at AUB
Are you ready to push boundaries and enrich your professional practice? We have an exciting portfolio of postgraduate courses, created to develop your expertise and establish yourself in the creative industries. While each course is specific to your area of study, our interdisciplinary approach allows you to specialise and tailor your own journey.
We also have online postgraduate courses, which are perfect for people who want to study at their own pace, in their own space.
Previous MA Fine events
Moving, Belonging and Boundary
Discover the latest work from our MA Fine Art students, staff and alumni at our exhibition, "Moving, Belonging and Boundary".
MA Fine Art: Postgraduate Summer Shows 2025
AUB MA Fine Art summer graduates are now exhibiting their final major work in the BUG galleries from 22 July – 7 August...
MA Fine Art: Postgraduate Summer Shows 2024
MA Fine Art summer graduates will exhibit their final major work in TheGallery this summer for one week from 14–20 August 2024...
Postgraduate Summer Shows 2026: ELEVEN and WILD...LIFE – celebration event
Arts University Bournemouth invites you to a celebration event for two of our Postgraduate Summer Show exhibitions at Lighthouse, Poole.
