BA Fine Art student selected to exhibit work at Tate Britain

Imogen Downs, BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate has been selected to exhibit her work at Tate Britain as part of ‘Life Between Islands’ a digital display celebrating British Caribbean art and culture.

Imogen speaks to us about her painting Maritime Runaway selected to feature in the exhibition:

What inspired you to create Maritime Runaway?

My inspiration was the theme of Hiraeth that I studied when I created my first magazine in second year in response to the growing problems of society, specifically stemming from COVID-19 and the refugee crisis.

Hiraeth means a home that you can never return to*, and that is the emotion felt by so many. This is what I tried to illustrate in this landscape.

Tell us about the painting:

My politically germane piece is an atmospheric still conveying the horrific journey taken by 76,558 Mediterranean migrants in 2019. This crisis needs immediate attention by governments around the world and I intend to raise awareness for those in need using my art form.

A new law was passed in recent weeks, that states homeless migrants are liable for deportation; this is scary to most and I have attempted to capture this emotion using my solemn colour palette and lonesome composition. ‘Maritime Runaway’, an overpowering, romantic landscape, is a symbol of our poor efforts at helping those in desperate need of shelter.

Life Between Islands exhibits from 3–5 December at Tate Britain.

*Since this article was posted we have been made aware that the word hiraeth, which is now used widely to mean ‘homesickness’, has special resonance in the context of Wales and Welsh culture. It is a mixture of longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness or an earnest desire for the Wales of the past.