The Lightbox and The Ingram Collection are joining WWF's #ArtForYourWorld campaign whereby we are calling on everyone in the art world to go green for the month of November. This campaign will help raise awareness and demonstrate the art world’s solidarity with the cause whilst, at the same time, highlighting artists and artworks from The Ingram Collection that explore the natural world.

Here’s a selection of our personal favourites that feature in our new Upper Gallery exhibition, The Ingram Collection: Art For Your World:

Seamus Cuddihy, Scarface, 2013

Exhibition view of Art For Your World, foreground view of Scarface by Seamus Cuddihy © The Lightbox

Seamus Cuddihy probably took inspiration from Scarface, a 14-year-old lion in the Kenyan Mara, who attracted widespread international coverage. Scarface was the king of the pride, covering over 400 square kilometres of territory. He lost his right eye in a fight in 2011, hence his name Scarface.

This work was made from the root and stump of a cherry tree. It took 2 years and approximately 150 hours to complete.

For Cuddihy, the material is incredibly important to his work. He enjoys exploring the unique sculptural possibilities and challenges of working with restrictive materials like wood and metal. Cuddihy lets the natural characteristics of the material take over his work, allowing it to influence the final outcome.

Emma Woffenden (b. 1962), Elephant Revenge, 2012

Exhibition view of Art For Your World, foreground view of Elephant Revenge by Emma Woffenden © The Lightbox 

Emma Woffenden creates ambiguous sculptures that refer to the shocking or unusual stories that have resonated with her. Her work embraces the contradiction of violence and beauty and deals with the darker side of human nature.

The artist writes of this piece: “This sculpture was inspired by a story that a young bull elephant lost its mother to an ivory poacher, it entered a village and found the man who had committed the killing and killed him. I am interested in this

inter-species action, revenge being something we reserve for humans but can happen elsewhere. I’m moved by horrific actions such as killing for one part of the animal.”

Kristina Chan (b. 1991), Banksia Seeds, 2020

Exhibition view of Art For Your World, foreground view of Banksia Seeds by Kristina Chan © The Lightbox

This sculpture is inspired by Kristina Chan’s 2019 residency in Australia during the height of the bushfire season in New South Wales. Chan witnessed the land’s capacity for regrowth, renewal, and survival in the face of natural disasters, invasive species, and human impact. Banksias are pyrophtes, which means they have evolved to germinate in fire, leading them to not only survive but thrive despite the devastating bushfires.

This is a sculpture in three states. The seed before, during, and after the fire, showing the resilience and strength of nature. The seeds took on a greater meaning for Chan on her return to the UK and the following months in lockdown. Cast in bronze, they began to represent the strength, resilience, and perseverance we find within ourselves.

Chan was a recipient of the 2020 Ingram Prize for Banksia Seeds.

Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993), Rolling Over Horse, 1979

Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) Rolling over Horse, 1979, pencil and watercolour © The Elisabeth
Frink Estate and Archive. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2021. Image courtesy of The Ingram

Animals feature heavily in Elisabeth Frink’s work, in particular, horses. Frink grew up in the countryside and as a child, she spent much of her time riding horses, playing with dogs, and learning to shoot. As well as this rural upbringing, she was fascinated by the spirit of the animal and the intrinsic and ancient relationship between man and beast informing her work.

 For Frink, the horse symbolised the beauty and unpredictability of nature.

"The horse has done so much for man - works for him, carries him to battle- and yet retained its independence, in a strange way, that it can, in a flash, transform everything by chucking him off." - Elisabeth Frink

Barbara Nati (b. 1980), Shooting Clouds. Stratocumulus, 2019

Barbara Nati (1980-), Shooting Clouds, 2019, Limited edition digital collage (edition of 50)
© The Artist. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

Barbara Nati’s work highlights the danger of environmental devastation by creating dystopian scenes using digital montage techniques.

Here, she is commenting on the use of cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is the addition of small particles of silver iodide to clouds to unnaturally encourage rain or snowfall. Nati describes it as a "useless technique lacking scientific evidence that’s used to address catastrophic situations caused by humans themselves."

For more information about other upcoming exhibitions at The Lightbox, click here.