rhea banker & jane rushton: an intimacy of place

Artists Rhea Banker and Jane Rushton present a joint exhibition exploring their profound connection to the diverse coastal environment of Mallaig Bheag. 

From the rocky outcrop and beach at the edge of Jane Rushton’s coastal croft at Mallaig Bheag, two artist friends follow the track that leads over and around to the beach at Mallaig Mhor. Long-time collaborators, and regular conversationalists, Banker and Rushton share an interest in the intimate detail of place which hints at deep history, and the stories that are held within rocks, plant growth, and the evidence of human impact.

In pondering elements of geology, landform, the remains of historic dwellings, and evidence of cultivation, the artists explore their relationship to this small area through their independent creative means and present their work as a continuation of the gentle conversations they have shared. Their collaboration, focused in time and on place, yet expansive in depth, relates a powerful story of an intimate reflection of the spaces we hold close.

Rhea Banker

Long inspired by the stories of the Earth held within distant lands edged by the sea, Rhea Banker has created a body of photo-based work that explores the past, present, and potential future held within the planet’s ever-changing crust. As the source of her work, she has spent the past 30 years focusing on the North Atlantic in which some of the oldest rocks on Earth expose their travels through time. 

She focuses on specific locations from both a macro and a micro point of view. Much like scientists who participate in field studies, Rhea takes photographic recordings of her finds, brings them back to her studio, and begins her narration with the textures, colours, and light she finds in the field. Sharing a common early geology, much of her time has been spent in the Outer Hebrides and the West coast of Greenland. As part of these journeys, Banker often focuses very closely on small areas to tell large stories. The Island of Lewis, with very distinct and varying landscapes has particularly been her subject for many years.

Recent work includes a study of a small tidal island on the Isle of Lewis called Eilean Meinish. It sits at the point where Loch Miavaig meets the beautiful Loch Roag on its way to the sea. The island is only accessible at low tide and its circumference can be walked in 20 minutes. But the combination of sea, wind, stone and vegetation yields a moving story of becoming and continuing, as a symbol of changes now apparent everywhere.

Jane Rushton

Working across a variety of media, Jane Rushton’s practice reflects on the complexity of the natural world. Themes of fragility, transience and endurance provide a focus, filtered through the interplay between the macro and the micro.

With reference to Earth’s geological base, through the abundance of plant and arboreal growth, to the lifeforms that inhabit the coastal regions of northern latitudes, the rich textures of the natural world are explored and re-formed.

With a long-term focus on ‘the north’, from Scotland to the Arctic regions of Greenland and Svalbard, Rushton works with a keen awareness of our changing climate and its impact. Her work is, however, celebratory and aims to invite contemplation and reverie within her viewer.

This latest project offers close scrutiny of a specific location around the artist’s home and studio, and a shared visual dialogue with a long-time friend and collaborator.