More about Contemporary and Country

Contemporary and Country (C&C) present art and handmade craft by artists and makers based in the east of England in pop-up exhibitions that celebrate our rural surroundings.

C&C work with artists and makers inspired by the rural environment or who use natural materials in their production process. Most live and work in rural areas, small towns of East Anglia. Through their work they bring about a closer understanding of the countryside, rural issues and reveal how their surroundings inspire their creative thinking.

C&C's exhibitions have taken place at The Fermoy Gallery and Shakespeare Barn at The Guildhall, King's Lynn, Houghton Hall Stables, both in Norfolk, at BallroomArts, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, at The Granary Gallery, Norwich, and at Creake Abbey near Burnham Market on the North Norfolk coast. The pop-up exhibitions at the Stables Houghton Hall have been large-scale group shows featuring East Anglian artists and makers, seen alongside exhibitions of sculpture by internationally acclaimed artists: Sean Scully, Tony Cragg, Anish Kapoor, Henry Moore, Damien Hirst and Richard Long.

Country matters

C&C display work by contemporary artists and makers who explore rural subject matter, sustainable materials, issues around coastal land use and the effects on smaller rural communities as climate change takes its toll. Many of these issues are shared by creative practitioners working in geographically isolated communities in other parts of the UK and are not restricted to the east. C&C's exhibitions and events provide a forum for these issues, bringing attention to the creative people we work with, facilitating greater understanding of their work and production process.

Art and Craft in the East of England

During the last ten years artists and makers have exited expensive and cramped conditions of the UK's larger cities like London, discovering creative hot spots in rural settings in the east of England. Here, creative people have access to inexpensive workshop and studio space, with better natural light, and better working conditions. There is also a creative community in East Anglia, that while fragmented by geography, does have a handful of public sector and artist run spaces to display work. C&C have added to this mix, with an inclusive approach, across disciplines tailored to the way artists and craftspeople work today, providing a curated context to show their work.