‘The Ushaw Editions’ Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair X Ushaw Historic House

About

Each year Ushaw hosts a two-week residency program at their distinctive heritage site in Durham, Northeast England, where artists are invited to respond to its extensive permanent collection of artworks and artefacts. The winner of the prize is then exhibited at the international art fair, WCPF, with one edition being acquired for Ushaw’s permanent collection.

This year the ‘The Ushaw Editions’ exhibition will be hosted by Ushaw itself, bringing together the works of three previous resident artists Maite Cascón, Natasha Michaels and Lindsey Moran. Running from Saturday 23 March to 23 June 2024, the exhibition will offer a concentrated exploration of the residency experience and the historical tapestry it honours.

The regional exhibition will curate artist works, created during their two-week Ushaw Residency, alongside pieces from the Ushaw Historic House permanent Collection. Completing the narrative will be a film piece providing broader context to the exhibited works. Each of the artworks have been acquired as part of the Ushaw Collection with coinciding limited edition prints available to exclusively purchase as part of the heritage site’s own The Ushaw Editions.

‘Ushaw’s collaboration with WCPF is a wonderful way to reinterpret our stunning buildings, collections and stories and encourage visitors in new ways of seeing. The works that have been created from the residencies bring to life hidden stories and overlooked details and offer a fresh perspective for our audiences.’

- Lucy Jenkins, CEO and Director of Culture & Heritage at Ushaw

Established in 1808 as a new Catholic Seminary, Ushaw has evolved into a cultural landmark where visitors can traverse the house, gardens, and numerous chapels. The notable Gothic splendour of St. Cuthbert’s Chapel, still active and hosting mass every Friday, stands as an enduring testament to Ushaw's rich heritage. 

Now a cultural beacon, Ushaw boasts an extensive permanent collection of artworks and artefacts, frequently rotating to offer guests a unique experience with each visit. In tandem with the permanent collection, Ushaw curates an ongoing program of cultural events, exhibitions, and, notably, artist residencies.

The WCPF x Ushaw exhibition line-up explores a variety of print mediums and processes brought together by the shared inspiration of Ushaw’s stories, architecture, landscape and treasures. Maite Cascón, a luminary from the 2022 Ushaw residency, explores metaphorical and figurative realms within her printmaking, referencing psychoanalysis and folklore to provoke contemplation on broader societal issues, particularly our collective disconnection from nature.

2023 prize winner, Natasha Michaels, works within an etching studio using a monoprint technique. Each silhouette is cut from an aluminium plate then inked or painted, and put through an etching press, a process which gives Michaels’ work its signature texture.

Concluding the artist line-up is Lindsey Moran, a 2023 Ushaw alumna and returning WCPF exhibitor, who delves into the intersection between printmaking and photography. Moran's prints predominantly employ photopolymer, with an experimental fusion of techniques including chine collé and archival inkjet.

Throughout the duration of the exhibition, WCPF and Ushaw will host three open events: the launch evening on Friday 22nd March, a printmaking workshop during the May half-term and an artist talk with new 2024 Artists in Residence, Hugh Hamshaw Thomas and Ade Adesina to close the exhibition.

WCPF Director Lizzie Glendinning comments “As a platform for contemporary art conversation, we continue to reach beyond the London-based event to provide wider opportunities for artists, develop relationships with like-minded institutions, and reach new audiences across the UK and further afield. We have a special connection with Ushaw, having moved only minutes away in early 2020 and spending lockdown walking its grounds, to then discover this incredible cultural resource minutes from Durham City Centre. It’s been a really exciting journey introducing artists to the rich history of this part of the country.”