Art / Arnolfini Arts
Arnolfini to host twin summer exhibitions from Jonathan Baldock and Polly Braden
In twin summer exhibitions opening at Arnolfini on June 27, leading contemporary artist Jonathan Baldock will be accompanied by documentary photographer Polly Braden, it has been announced.
Entitled Held, Baldock’s collection of work will feature a number of large-scale sculptural pieces, showcasing the artist’s signature blend of ceramics, textiles, and sound to create a colourful, playful and multisensory experience for visitors.
Among the many highlights will be an interactive installation of a wild bear, commissioned by Arnolfini and described as “monumental” in size.
“The bear itself draws on a long cultural history, from ancient myth to the familiar comfort of childhood toys”, detail the explanatory notes to the work.
Jonathan Baldock, The Caretakers (detail). Textile, rubber, foam and wood. © Jonathan Baldock – photo: Galerna
Jonathan Baldock, Moment in the Sun, 2023. Felt, hessian, polymer, turquoise and quartz. © Jonathan Baldock – photo: courtesy of the artist
“Over the course of the exhibition, its surface will become worn through use, carrying the marks of the thousands of people who encounter it. Its face, modelled on a scan of the artist’s mother, adds a deeply personal dimension.”
For the curators, Baldock’s thoughtful practice chimes absolutely with the notion of bringing people together within the sanctuary of a public cultural space.
Jonathan Baldock, They were common and close, I had no room for growth (detail), 2022. Ceramic stoneware, hessian, wood. © Jonathan Baldock – photo: Todd-White Art Photography
Jonathan Baldock, Nature to be commanded must be obeyed, 2019. Hessian, felt, silk thread, polymer, semi-precious stone. © Jonathan Baldock – photo: Stephen White & Co
“In an age increasingly defined by loneliness, accelerated by the rise of AI and a gradual loss of communal spaces”, they contend, “Held proposes physical closeness as a radical and necessary gesture.
“The Arnolfini galleries are transformed into an environment of comfort and care in which we can slow down and feel our way back to nature, and each other.”
Jonathan Baldock, Earthly Coil (Sight), 2021. Ceramic, glass, crystal and precious stones.
Installation view: I’m Still Learning at La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain, 2021. © Jonathan Baldock. Courtesy of the artist and La Casa Encendida – photo: Bego Solís
Jonathan Baldock portrait, 2024 -photo: Jason Alden
Returning to the venue after her last solo exhibition Holding the Baby back in 2022, Polly Braden will be exhibiting a collection of photographs exploring the lives of young people in British coastal towns – many of which are places disproportionately impacted by poverty, deprivation and job insecurity.
Against the Tide is a project conducted in collaboration with journalist Lisa Bachelor, as part of The Guardian’s Seascape series. Over the course of a year or more, the pair visited Weston-super-Mare, Scarborough, Grimsby, Southend, Portsmouth, Whitehaven, Tendring, Rhyl and Blackpool, meeting young people to understand and document their experiences.
Millicent, a 22-year-old fine art graduate from Jaywick, says: ‘There’s not much here. But you saw me come out of my house – it’s right on the seafront. I just love that’. From Polly Braden, Against the Tide – photo: courtesy of the artist
The band Voyage, which grew out of We Are Music in Harwich. From left: Maisy, 18; Drew, 19; Tom, 18; Kyle, 21; Oliver, 18; Matt, 19; and Finn, 18. From Polly Braden, Against the Tide – photo: courtesy of the artist
The results are nuanced, intimate, revealing and deeply empathetic, calling into question some of the dismissive stereotypes associated with people and places that so often find themselves easily dismissed or forgotten.
“Across intimate portraits and first-hand testimony, Against the Tide brings audiences face-to- face with a generation navigating life at the sharp edge of inequality, while also imagining something different”, the curators reflect.
Cohen, 19, from Grimsby in his Easter bunny costume. From Polly Braden, Against the Tide, 2026 – photo: courtesy of the artist
Charlie, 17, and Keane, 19, both from Eastfield, and Jack, 17, from Scarborough, pictured at Oliver’s Mount, overlooking Scarborough. Keane wrote a play as a ‘love letter’ to his home town.
From Polly Braden, Against the Tide, 2026 – photo: courtesy of the artist
“Alongside accounts of isolation and lack of opportunity are expressions of resilience, ambition and hope, and a clear message: coastal towns are not just sites of decline, but places of creativity and possibility.”
As an adjunct to Braden’s work, a group of seven young people from Weston-super-Mare will be exhibiting their own photographs in Arnolfini’s Gallery 5, documenting their experiences of life in the town.
Trinity, 14, Layla, 16, and Maisie, 15, at the Buckland youth activity centre, Portsmouth. From Polly Braden, Against the Tide – photo: courtesy of the artist
Weston Super Mare, from Polly Braden, Against the Tide, 2026 – photo: courtesy of the artist
Besides the Sea was developed in a series of workshops led by local artists in collaboration with 16-25-year olds in Weston, as well as Blackpool, Whitehaven and Brightlingsea.
The young people were charged with documenting their experiences and “creating photographs that challenge and reframe dominant narratives about their hometowns”.
Sienna, 19, at Rhyl youth boxing club, from Polly Braden, Against the Tide – photo: courtesy of the artist
Polly Braden portrait – photo: Fernando Manoso
As part of the experience, they also created handwritten postcards for one another, “sharing messages of frustration, resilience and hope with peers”, and “building connections across geographical and political divide” in the process.
A forthcoming conference on June 24 at UCL will gather participants and decision-makers together to raise awareness and drive policy progress, in a bid to support and safeguard a positive future for young people within coastal communities.
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Main photo: Polly Braden (‘Ceilidh’, from Against the Tide, 2026 – courtesy of the artist)
Jonathan Baldock: Held and Polly Braden: Against the Tide are at Arnolfini on June 27-September 27, from 11am-6pm daily. Both exhibitions are free; donations welcome.
Polly Braden and Lisa Bachelor will be in conversation at Arnolfini on September 25 at 6pm. Tickets will be available via Headfirst.
Find out more at Arnolfini.org.uk or follow @arnolfiniarts.
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