Details of our previous exhibitions are as follows:
Hidden/Revealed
13 September - 27 October 2017
The inaugural exhibition held within the Exhibition Space, upon the opening of the newly built Emily Wilding Davison library building. This exhibition gave an insight into student life on campus through photography triptychs submitted by staff, students and alumni.
Hospitality on the Road to Santiago de Compostela
6 November - 10 December 2017
For eleven centuries, the Road to Santiago de Compostela – the ‘Camino de Santiago’, ‘Jakobsweg’, ‘Cammino di Santiago di Compostela’ or ‘Way of St James’ has been a highway of knowledge. The network of routes has enabled and encouraged the dissemination and exchange of ideas, culture and artistic movements. This exhibition was a chance to see a collection of 48 photographs, taken over a period of 26 years by Manuel G Vicente. His images focus on ‘Hospitality’, a cornerstone of the pilgrimage and in so doing capture the solidarity, friendship and mutual understanding forged by people of all ages and nations, of all faiths and none, who walk the Road.
This exhibition was sponsored by Xacobeo Galicia and the Xunta de Galicia.
Suffrage! Education, activism and votes for women
15 January - 17 March 2018
The provision of women’s education provides a unique insight into the campaign for Suffrage. Archival material from Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, including commentaries by students and staff in the form of diaries, magazines and letters, charts the reception of both Suffrage and the Suffragettes in the colleges and beyond. Loans from the Museum of London and Women’s Library, including hunger strike medals and sashes, position the College material in the wider context of the campaign for women’s rights. The exhibition culminated in an examination of what the Representation of the People Act really meant and for whom.
Digital Forest
23 April - 2 July 2018
Digital Forest, a multi-sensory moving image installation by media artist Madi Boyd, was informed by the latest attention research conducted by Professor Polly Dalton, in particular, the notion that the ‘soft fascination’ provided by natural environments can restore people’s mental resources. As well as being art in its own right, the creation of a ‘natural’ environment in a constructed performative space enabled the restorative effects of installation art to be investigated.
This exhibition was supported by Hiscoxs.
200 Years of Becoming Digital
24 September - 29 November 2018
This exhibition was part of wider events and activities held at Royal Holloway to celebrate 50 years of computing science on campus. Reflecting on the development of computing ideas and technology since the 1820, the exhibition explored mechanical prehistory of computing, the role of women in computing and programming, Moore's Law, gaming and deep learning.
This exhibition won the 2019 British Society for the History of Science Great Exhibitions competition (Small Category).
Christiana Herringham: Artist, Campaigner, Collector
14 January - 31 March 2019
A culmination of the research of PhD student Michaela Jones, this exhibition explores the collections and work of artist, campaigner and art collector Christiana Herringham. The Herringham Collection forms almost one-third of the fine art collection at Royal Holloway, and comprises both the artists own works and those she collected from others. An active Suffragist, traveller and artist, Herringham was a pioneer of her time and her works were originally gifted to Bedford College by her husband, Wilmot Herringham, who shared his wife's life-long interest in women's education.
This exhibition was supported by the Art Fund.
This is Cuba: documentary photography after Fidel
29 April - 23 June 2019
Following a period of momentous change for Cuba, signified by the end of the Castro era, this exhibition explored contemporary documentary photography and its role in representing the country and its people both inside and outside the island. Showcasing work by world-renowned photographers such as Raúl Cañibano and Michael Christopher Brown, the exhibition showcased previously unseen photographs that offer a snapshot of the changing face of Cuba.
Media Arts Showcase 2019
1 July - 31 July 2019
This exhibition showcased the work of four media arts students graduating in the class of 2019.
Natalya Binti, Manifestation of Emotions (2019), multi-screen installation
Mariia Ostapkevich, Self Portrait (2019), mixed media installation
Lor Wilson, Overload (2019), multi-screen installation
Daoud Waheed, Overcoming Adversity (2019), C-type print photographs
Spotlight: 20th Century Art in Focus
14 September - 8 December 2019
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College’s art collection holds a multitude of artworks and objects from the 18th century right through to the present day. Best known for our historic art collections - mostly held on permanent display within the iconic Picture Gallery, housed within the Founders Building – this temporary exhibition highlighted a lesser known part of our holdings, focusing on the works made within the early to mid-20th century.
Featuring artists such as Graham Sutherland, Dame Laura Knight, C. R. W. Nevinson, Amy Drucker, William Orpen, John Nash and many more, this exhibition brought into focus a part of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College’s collection rarely on public display, alongside a host of free talks and activities.
