Exhibitions & Events

AUSTRALIA EXHIBITION: Laurence Edwards: A Gathering of Uncertainties

4 February – 16 April 2023

Developed in partnership with Messums Wiltshire, this exhibition will be the first exhibition of contemporary sculpture in the recently completed North Gallery at Orange and will radically transform the space, offering Australian audiences a rare encounter with Laurence Edwards’ work.

EVENT: Ceramics Season

13 February – 30 April 2023

In 2023 spring season, Messums celebrates contemporary ceramic across all our venues.
A symposium on April 1st will highlight the diverse potential of the material in art with talks from our exhibiting artists and leading ceramic experts.

EXHIBITION: Brian Taylor at The Frink Studio

18 February – 31 March by appointment only

Approximately 30 works by the artist Brian Taylor (1935-2013) will be on show in the exhibition including many bronze sculptures which have rarely been on public display since the early 1960s. Taylor studied at the Slade School of Art in the mid-1950s and his early prowess as a sculptor of the human figure resulted in him gaining a coveted three-year scholarship to Rome.

EVENT: Messums Book Club

First Thursday of each month

Messums new book club will meet on the first Thursday evening every month to debate works by some of the greatest thinkers and writers of our time. Starting with drinks at the bar we will gather in the barn to exchange ideas and views on the books and hopefully make some new friends. For those who want to stay on for supper the restaurant will be open for bookings.

EXHIBITION: Sandrine Bringard ‘Splash!’

4 March – 30 April 2023

In conjunction with Thiébaut Chagué’s installation of a wood-fired kiln at Messums Wiltshire and the exhibition of his work, we will be displaying a presentation of sculptural ceramics by the contemporary French artist, Sandrine Bringard. Bringard was taught by Chagué and spent a year in residence working at his studio, experimenting with high- temperature wood-firing and learning from his expertise.

EXHIBITION: Thiébaut Chagué ‘Wood Firing in Action’

4 March – 30 April 2023

Thiébaut Chagué began his career in 1976, training in France, Belgium and in England under Michael Cardew and Richard Batterham. Returning to France in 1981 he set up his first workshop in the Loire Valley and in 1984 built a new studio in the Vosges with a wood-fired kiln.

EXHIBITION: Abstract Ceramics

4 March – 30 April 2023

This exhibition of abstract ceramic work has been selected by Martin Smith and will be on display in Wiltshire in conjunction with Smith’s solo show at Messums London. The exhibition will feature work by Natasha Daintry, Nicholas Lee, Alison Rees and James Rigler. All of the participating artists have been taught by Smith at the Royal College of Art, and all share an affinity with his work.

EVENT: Wood Firing in Action

Thursday 30 – Friday 31 March

Join us anytime over the two days to witness the firing of Thiébaut Chagué’s giant sculpture in the 6 metre high wood-fired kiln.
The kiln, sited in the front sculpture garden, will be lit on Thursday afternoon and remain at 600 degrees until Friday when the temperature will be raised to 1200 degrees.

EVENT: Open Mic Night

Saturday 1 April

Join us for our monthly open mic night featuring some fantastic local musicians and singers. The event starts at 7pm with each performance lasting for 20 minutes. The bars and restaurant will be open too, so why not make an evening of it!

EVENT: Ceramics Symposium

Saturday 1 April

In 2023 spring season, Messums celebrates contemporary ceramic across all our venues.
A symposium on April 1st will highlight the diverse potential of the material in art with talks from our exhibiting artists and leading ceramic experts.

EXHIBITION: Francesco Poiana

3 April – 31 May 2023

In the letters that Van Gogh sent to his brother he often made a sort of synthesis of the work done. A small thumbnail drawing was drawn on the bottom of the page to share with his brother the work in progress of the painting.

EVENT: Wine Tasting – Matthew Jukes 100 best Australian Wines

Saturday 15 April, from 6pm

Matthew Jukes launches each year’s collection of 100 Best Australian wines in May, at Australia House in London, and then from September to March he takes a large selection of the wines on a global Roadshow, taking in Australia, China and the UK. 

EXHIBITION: Tim Georgeson and William Barton ‘The Hidden’

6 May – 8 July

The Hidden is a sound and film installation by Australian filmmaker and artist Tim Georgeson and composer, performer and proud Kalkadunga man, William Barton. It offers a personal account of the Bundanon land and waterscapes in New South Wales, Australia.

EXHIBITION: Internal Landscape

6 May – 12 June

This exhibition presents selected works by artists from, or inspired by, Australia and New Zealand, in celebration of our season focused on Antipodean culture and heritage. The collection of work is diverse while the artists are connected by their emotional and psychological engagement with the Australasian landscape and outback topography. It is this deeply-rooted commitment to a sense of place that enlivens their imagination and fuels their practice – the landscape consciously or unconsciously entering their work and, ultimately, their values.

EVENT: Active Environmentalism Symposium

Saturday 3 June

Our Active Environmentalism programme builds our knowledge and ways of seeing and considering our relationship with our environment. They are based on the premise that individual decisions tend to be the right ones when given access to sufficient information and collectively they add up to global change.

Festival of Dance 2023

14 – 23 July

Festival of Dance 2023 presents two live headline dance acts alongside our second 4X20 Choreography Platform. The ten-day festival will once again host performances, workshops, dinners with artists, dance parties and as a new addition, the final Sunday – 23 July – will be dedicated to the inaugural  Messums Dance Film Festival, in which curated work of national and international dance filmmakers will be screened and awarded.

PERFORMANCE: 4X20 Emerging Choreographers

Tuesday 18 July

The selected 4X20 choreographers for 2023 are John-William Watson and Chandenie Gobardhan – two outstanding artists based in Leeds and London respectively. Watson’s work is highly theatrical and tragi-comedic, drawing influence from Surrealism and playing with everyday, utilitarian and pedestrian movement. Gobardhan’s work, meanwhile, draws upon Eastern and Western traditions to develop a rich and distinctive movement language with influences from Bharatanatyam, hip-hop and contemporary dance.