Politics in Print Exhibition, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th September, The X Centre, Exeter Quay, 11am-6pm

Double Elephant Print Workshop is to hold an exhibition of contemporary art inspired by the political archive material held at the Devon Record Office.

The project has been supported by the Devon Record Office which threw open its archives to seven leading artists to research their approach to the Politics in Print exhibition. The artists created their artwork at Double Elephant’s Exeter studios all using the medium of fine art printmaking.

Artist Catherine Cartwright said: “Nicci Wonnacott and I began by looking at some of the letters held at Devon Record Office by Cristobel Pankhurst which led us to the story of The Three Suffragettes of Clovelly. We were inspired to pay homage to their action of ‘getting up the nose of Asquith’, who had been staying in Clovelly at the time, by visiting exactly 101 years later and creating prints and a short film from the experience.”

Volkhardt Muller’s work Trying to Meet Matilda Brimmacombe was prompted by the 1843 records kept by Exeter Prison’s chaplain on the eponymous 15-year-old, who had been sentenced to six months hard labour with periods of solitary confinement for stealing a hat.

Double Elephant spokesperson, Claire McLaughlin, said: “The exhibition’s twin aims are to show the range and versatility of fine art printmaking and to uncover some of the wonderful historical resources we have in the Devon Record Office.

“It’s been fascinating to see what the commissioned artists’ research has revealed from the archives and how it has inspired them to create art.

“The exhibition will certainly give visitors a new and exciting glimpse of the county’s past.”

Politics in Print features work by Lucy Brett, Gary Powell, Steven Paige, Volkhardt Muller, Jonathan Velardi, Catherine Cartwright and Nicci Wonnacott.

The exhibition will take place at the X Centre, on Exeter’s Quayside, Commercial Road, Exeter on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September, 11am – 6pm, before touring to other venues in Devon.  The exhibition forms part of Devon Open Studios, a county-wide scheme to open artists’ spaces to the public.

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