The two boxed sets that form the core of Norman Ackroyd’s latest exhibition – 2014’s From Saltburn to Flamborough and this year’s Connemara – take as their subject two opposing ends of the British and Irish archipelago. The work of both draws upon the tension inherent to such terrain; these are liminal places belonging equally to land and sea, a landscape that is both solid and fiercely changeable, where the rich voice of history meets silence. Norman’s etchings strike an uncanny balance between these contradictory qualities, imbued with the spiritual traces of the monasteries that haunt both coastlines, whilst also registering the violence of the waves and cliff faces overrun with gannets which constitute them.
For this show, we are lucky to have watercolours from both Ireland and Yorkshire, which as well as being beautiful works in their own right, provide a fascinating insight into how Norman sees these landscapes and serve as a powerful demonstration of his ability to conjure atmosphere with the flick of a wrist.
