Overview

The summer exhibition will see a multitude of works by British artist Clare Woods RA installed throughout the historic manor and its galleries.

Having initially trained as a sculptor, Woods’ understanding of sculptural forms underpin her paintings, collages, and prints. Her recent works have been preoccupied with destabilising traditional art historical genres such as portraiture, landscape and still life.

Hovering between abstraction and figuration, her paintings are characterised by fluid mark-making and vibrant colours.

Under The Dome (2024), one of the biggest works in the show, draws its composition from a photo Woods took of the iconic Temperate House at Kew Gardens, London. In this scene, the viewer is positioned amongst the luscious tropical plants, peering up at the spiralling Victorian staircase. This glasshouse provides a sanctuary for some of the world’s rarest and most threatened plants. Woods became fascinated by this manmade ecosystem and how it protects flora that otherwise could not survive the UK’s cold climate. Here, the elaborate glass structure becomes a metaphor for the thin veneer between life and death.

Pitzhanger’s parkland setting, historic interiors, and stained-glass windows are sources of inspiration for Woods’ new works in the exhibition. Evoking the passage of time, they invite the viewer to consider the fleeting nature of life. When she was developing the concept for the show, Woods noted that absence and presence are not just abiding themes in her own works, but also powerful elements which characterise the manor and its galleries. Sir John Soane is ever-present in the building’s light-filled spaces and unique architecture, yet also absent following his death almost two centuries ago and the relocation of his collections to his central London town house — now the Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.