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FESTIVAL OF WESSEX 2026 • 27 ‘STUDY OF SUNLIGHT, CO. KERRY’ (Etching, 20.5 x 33 cm, 2008) © Norman Ackroyd Norman Ackroyd: The Transience of Light Norman Ackroyd (1938 - 2024) is widely recognised for his atmospheric depictions of the British Isles’ cliffs, shorelines and remote coasts. The Transience of Light traces his enduring fascination with the play of light across landscape and sea - from soft tonal shifts of his early prints to the bold contrasts, misted skies and luminous horizons that characterised his later work. His ability to distil the essence of place, often discovered on fearless journeys by boat to the far edges of the Atlantic, remains unmatched. The Transience of Light is co-curated by Victoria Art Gallery’s senior curator Nathalie Levi and Ackroyd’s studio manager and family. Their insight, together with material newly drawn from the archive, has helped create an exhibition that offers a rare and personal view of Ackroyd’s practice and the evolution of his visual language. The exhibition was developed during visits to Ackroyd’s Bermondsey studio - formerly a tannery and long a creative sanctuary filled with printing presses, archives and workspaces. Nathalie Levi recalls: “The studio is a world unto itself, saturated with ink and stories. To be invited into that environment, and to work with the people who knew Norman best, was a privilege. Their generosity and insight underpin every part of this exhibition.” The exhibition will feature etchings spanning five decades, from the 1980s to some of Ackroyd’s final works. Alongside his celebrated seascapes, it will also highlight the breadth of his subjects, including landscapes, city views, interiors, studies of trees and sweeping skylines. As the first solo museum exhibition of Ackroyd’s work since his death, it marks an important moment for Victoria Art Gallery and for Bath, chosen by the artist’s family and studio as the setting in which to share this significant body of work. Until 6 September: Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, BATH, BA2 4AT. Tuesday - Sunday 10.30am - 5pm. £9. 01225 477233 / victoriagal.org.uk. ‘SHIANT GARBH EILEAN’ (Etching, 49.5 x 78 cm, 2010) © Norman Ackroyd Mellony Taper: All This Useless Beauty Solo exhibition of work by the winner of the THG Open 2025, exploring female stories, considering how inherited experience and repeating generational patterns have shaped women’s lives. Until 27 June: Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, HONITON, EX14 1LX. Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm. 01404 45006 / thelmahulbert.com. John Aubrey: Wiltshire and the World Marking the 400th anniversary of his birth, this exhibition celebrates wide-ranging pursuits and scientific interests of John Aubrey, the famous seventeenth century antiquarian, scientist, and biographer. The exhibition will feature significant loans from across the country. Part of the Chippenham - Our History project. Until 19 September: Chippenham Museum, 9 - 10 Market Place, CHIPPENHAM, SN15 3HF. Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm. 01249 705020 / chippenham.gov.uk.