No Man’s Land - Terra Nullius Exhibition

Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art, London: 14-17th November 2023

If you would like to read a short piece of writing contextualising the work please see below.

Ocean of Dust (Terra Nullius), 2023

Ocean of Dust (Terra Nullius) reimagines and recontextualises the photograph Ocean of Dust in response to the exhibition’s theme: No Man’s Land.

The image itself is an amalgamation of multiple landscapes, stitched, glitched and overlaid to create a new world, a liminal space between ‘reality’ and ‘the other’. The vista itself becomes something of a no man’s land, a space that exists inbetween; somewhere occupied by and belonging to no-one. This felt like a fitting response to a phrase defined as “an indeterminate or undefined place or state”, “disputed ground” or “a piece of unowned land or wasteland” (Oxford Languages). The world you see inside the image exists only within itself, it emerged as a place not defined by geographical location but related only to the perception and experience of space, both mentally and physically.

Ocean of Dust (Terra Nullius) is an amalgamated image printed inversely onto a two-sided wooden panel, representing a binary - the thesis and antithesis of the work. Inspired in part by ‘The Courage to Matter’ by Johnny Golding, I wanted the edge of the work (painted in block colours) to represent the “excluded middle”, the often overlooked space in-between. This “no man’s land” can be hard to see when it’s paper thin, but here the edge is a subtle reminder that there is more to a plane than its surface, more to a landscape than what we see and more to the world than we can possibly understand if we never look past the surface. 

From Eventbrite:

Join us for the exclusive private view of the No Man’s Land – Terra Nullius Exhibition at the Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art! Get ready to immerse yourself in a captivating display of a multi-media exhibition where sounds, sights and smells will converge on a battlefield for the senses. In a truly transnational style, a group of international artists and curators respond to present social, political, and environmental challenges. On view from the 14th to the 16th of November 2023 at the Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art.

“No Man’s Land” comes from the Latin expression “Terra Nullius”, meaning “Nobody’s Land”, signifying a space simultaneously literally and metaphorically where no one has control or a place unsuitable for habitation. It is our earth, our world, our only home. This diverse curatorial and artistic team collaborate and infuse their passions with one another to raise awareness and address the issues of our environment. Our earth is wounded by man’s greed and it is now down to us to heal it. The exhibition invites viewers to imagine a space with a sense of neglect, ambiguity, or lack of clear ownership and responsibility. This concept serves as the central theme for the show, as artists from over 15 countries give a powerful and emotive response to the socio-environmental crisis that we, as a society, are facing.

This exhibition, this message and this art will take its viewers on an interactive journey through the inertia of state, through the void and into the blur. The audience will become part of the curatorial message. Modeled on them and flowing back to the greater narrative, No Man’s Land asks the right questions and lights up the right areas. It ignites a discussion that needs to be at the forefront of almost all things socio-political.

Visitors can expect a diverse range of media, including paintings, sculptures, digital and augmented reality (AR) art, performance art, and interactive works. This dynamic blend will take the viewer on a journey through the complex and interconnected issues surrounding the central theme of the exhibition. Experiencing this phenomenon from environmental, social, and political perspectives, the exhibition will prompt viewers to raise questions such as “What does no man’s land mean for you? Are we doing enough? Are we tolerant enough of other cultures, views and peoples? Our planet - do we care enough?”

The show is organised by a collective of artists and curators currently enrolled at the Royal College of Art.

Exhibiting artists:

Alice Dawson, Alice Deptiva, Alina R.J, Betty C Fan, Cameron Jarvie, Christy Taylor, Dastan Satoshi, Edyta Jaworek, Elina Yumasheva, Estella Wang, Ezra Chiu, Hadas Amster, Julian Giacomelli, Mathijs Hunfeld, Simona Racheva, Suzi Bratt, Tom Fairlamb, Roisin Sullivan, Stephanie Teng, Telle Yang, Yihwa Kim, Yuval Golan.

Curating team:

Asja Skadchiski, Bryony Large, Hannah Dowling, Jacqueline Schwartz, Kat Matheson, Nancy Whiston, Shahmir Hussain, Victoria Stepanets, Yuval Golan.

The exhibition will take place from the 14th until the 16th of November 2023 at Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art Battersea Campus, 1 Hester Rd, London SW11 4AY. Admission is free.

Private View: 14th of November; please reserve via Eventbrite.