ABOUT US: C&C create pop-up exhibitions of contemporary art and handmade craft

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

C&C work with artists and makers who include the natural environment in their subject matter or natural materials in their production process. Most live and work in rural areas or small towns throughout East Anglia. Through their work they bring about a closer understanding of the countryside, rural sensibilities and reveal how our surroundings inspire them.

C&C's exhibitions have taken place in at Houghton Hall Stables, Norfolk, at BallroomArts, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, at The Granary Gallery, Norwich, Creake Abbey near Burnham Market and Blakney on the North Norfolk coast. The pop-up exhibitions at the Stables, Houghton Hall have been group shows featuring East Anglian artists and makers, seen alongside exhibitions of sculpture by 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 subject matter that shifts the idea of the rural idyll toward more contemporary interests like sustainable materials, issues around coastal land use, ecological concerns found in the east of England. Many of these issues are shared by creative practitioners working in geographically isolated communities in other parts of the UK. 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.