The Arts Institute archive

Explore the past seasons of the University's public arts programme

Image: Slow Painting, 24 January – 28 March 2020, The Levinsky Gallery - A Hayward Touring Exhibition from Southbank Centre, London

The Arts Institute is proud to host a diverse range of contemporary art and culture supporting established, new and emerging artists from around the world. This includes acclaimed exhibitions featuring the work of Turner Prize winning artists; world renowned musical experiences; cutting-edge theatre productions; and a programme of talks providing new insight and perspectives into contemporary culture, society and history.

The Arts Institute is the curated public arts programme of the University of Plymouth which plays a pivotal role in building culture and art in the city and South West region, supporting established, new and emerging artists from around the world.

It comprises The Levinsky Gallery, a space for engaging, contemporary artworks; the Jill Craigie Cinema which screens a diverse range of classic films and contemporary cinematic masterpieces; a cutting-edge theatre and dance programme in The House; musical performances and concerts, and a year-long series of fascinating talks that open up a world of art, literature and history.

Open to everybody.

Contact us: theartsinstitute@plymouth.ac.uk

2023

Ocean

16 September – 16 December 2023

Ocean explored and celebrated our human connection with the water that covers over 70% of the planet. It did this from a number of different perspectives, bringing together world-leading researchers with contemporary artists and designers to create new works that invite a deeper understanding of the interconnected nature of land and sea. Including a science station for real world experiments, the exhibition also invited the public to get involved, forging a personal connection with the ocean, and our collective responsibility to protect it.

Image courtesy of Lloyd Russell, University of Plymouth

Otherworlds: Sang-Mi Rha and Marianne Walker

22 July – 26 August 2023

Sang-Mi Rha and Marianne Walker, two artists with distinct yet complementary practices, presented Otherworlds, where the lines between the real and the imagined, between 2D and 3D, blur and shift, to create works that intrigue and entice.

The Levinsky Gallery was delighted to welcome back Rha and Walker, both of whom exhibited in Plymouth Contemporary 2021. Otherworlds showcased the development of their individual practices, which converged in this exhibition to create something truly unique and awe-inspiring.

Heidi Morstang: Field Observations

11 February – 8 April 2023

Heidi Morstang: Field Observations presented selected films and photographic works, made since 2001, where landscape is the principal line of inquiry exploring various ways humans intervene with and in it.

The artworks, some made during interdisciplinary expeditions to unfamiliar geographic and conceptual terrain, are an observation of a fragile natural environment, and the increasing changes in the climate that has now become a global emergency. Morstang has filmed and photographed glaciers in the Arctic, boreal forests at midsummer, rapid light changes between polar night and day, and butterflies in the Sierra Nevada mountains. They feature geoscientists searching for ancient scars of earthquakes in the Arctic, scientists dedicating their lifetime work to the study of how climate change affects butterfly populations, and the beacon of hope in the form of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.