A major new exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Nancy Cadogan has opened at Beningbrough – inspired by the estate’s landscape, history and riverside setting.
Spanning four rooms of Beningbrough’s Reddihough Galleries, At the Bend in the River brings together paintings, drawings and immersive creative spaces responding to the estate’s riverside setting, historic house and changing landscape.
Through art, film, drawing and creative writing, visitors are invited to slow down, look closely and make connections between place, memory and imagination.
At the bend in the river: Paintings by Nancy Cadogan runs at Beningbrough untilSunday 20 December.
At the heart of the exhibition are newly commissioned works created especially for Beningbrough. Developed in response to the bend in the River Ouse that surrounds the estate, the works explore ideas of movement and stillness, change and continuity.
In some pieces, Cadogan has incorporated soil collected from the riverbank itself, embedding elements of the landscape directly into the artwork.
Nancy Cadogan, artist, said: “Beningbrough has a beautiful light and a wonderful spirit. Spending time here, I found myself returning again and again to the bend in the river, which feels both protective and expansive.
“It’s a place that encourages reflection, and many of the works in the exhibition explore that sense of pause, where memory, landscape and imagination meet.”
Alongside the paintings, visitors can discover a specially commissioned film exploring Cadogan’s creative practice and the inspiration she found at Beningbrough.
Artist Tanya Raabe-Webber and Beningbrough’s first writer-in-residence, Kathryn Tann, have created interactive spaces throughout the galleries that encourage visitors to draw, write and reflect on the exhibition in their own way.
The exhibition forms part of Beningbrough’s ongoing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, bringing new perspectives to the historic house and gardens.
Visitors can make a full day of their visit, exploring one of England’s finest Baroque interiors alongside extensive gardens, from the Mediterranean Garden and Pergola to colourful herbaceous borders, a productive walled garden and family-friendly outdoor spaces.
