Art / Emma Talbot
Emma Talbot: ‘Everything is Energy’ to open at Arnolfini this autumn
“There isn’t an action that doesn’t have some kind of impact on another thing,” asserts acclaimed British artist Emma Talbot, “because that’s what we’re experiencing.
“Life is an accumulation of actions, and in that sense, energy moves through us. We’re full of energy in order to live… It’s a really good way of explaining and thinking about what life is.”
Currently based between London and Italy, Talbot has exhibited widely across Europe, and was the recipient of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women in 2020.
is needed now More than ever
From Everything is Energy, 2024 by Emma Talbot – photo: courtesy and copyright Emma Talbot Studio
The artist’s new exhibition Everything is Energy is set to open at Arnolfini on October 18, where it will remain until February 2026.
Comprising a rich mix of work that ranges from large-scale silk paintings to sculpture, animation and drawing, the collection examines the interplay between nature, humanity and technology.
At its heart, there are two new works, both co-commissioned by Arnolfini and Copenhagen Contemporary: the silk painting installations Are You a Living Thing That Is Dying or a Dying Thing That Is Living? and the titular piece, Everything is Energy.
Emma Talbot, Are You a Living Thing That Is Dying or a Dying Thing That Is Living, 2025. Installation view, Copenhagen Contemporary, 2025 – photo: David Stjernholm
Within these vast pieces there are numerous handwritten questions that the artist poses both to herself and to the audience; uncomfortable rhetorical queries such as “Are you part of an illusion or are you the dreamer?” and “What can you gather before you retreat?”
Talbot’s work reflects contemporary concerns around the climate emergency, ecological breakdown and our complex relationship with and reliance upon technology. It doesn’t always make for comfortable viewing.
But throughout, the artist’s work remains brimming with possibility; from death, there is rebirth, and from destruction, there can be renewal.
Photo: courtesy and copyright Emma Talbot Studio
In her personal life, Talbot experienced a loss in 2006 which were the impetus for a series of intimate and reflective sketches that eventually resulted in larger, immersive installations for which she is characterised today.
“For all its provocations and cumulative force”, the exhibition notes point out, “Everything is Energy also invites audiences to slow down, to question and to reconnect.
“In a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and digital mediation, Talbot’s work offers a reminder of our fundamental connection to the natural world – and to each other”.
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Emma Talbot: Everything is Energy is at Arnolfini from October 18-February 8 2026 at 11am-6pm daily (closed Monday). Follow the artist @talbot.emma.
A series of workshops, events and activities will accompany the exhibition. For more information about these, as well as the rest of the Arnolfini programme, visit www.arnolfini.org.uk.
Main photo: Alice Hendy
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