Anya Gallaccio: preserve is the largest survey exhibition to date of British artist Anya Gallaccio. Opening 28 September 2024, the exhibition will span three decades of Gallaccio’s radical practice, restaging several iconic sculptures in addition to a new site-specific commission. It will reveal the artist’s consistent rethinking of the relationship between art and the environment by presenting works that connect with Kent’s natural heritage.

Due to the temporal nature of her work, much of Gallaccio’s practice is best known through documentary photographs and memory. This exhibition introduces her sculptures and large-scale installations so that a new generation can engage in their references to environmental sustainability and preserving fragile ecosystems.

Renowned for her innovative use of organic, ephemeral materials such as apples, flowers and chalk, and for her explorations of transformation and impermanence, Gallaccio has reshaped our understanding of contemporary sculpture.

Complementing Gallaccio’s exhibition, Turner Contemporary has developed an extensive school programme in partnership with the artist. This programme, titled An Apple a Day, aims to explore Kent’s countryside, heritage, and history through the lens of the apple and county’s apple orchards. Inspired by the work of Californian chef and food activist Alice Waters, Gallaccio seeks to embed nature across everyday teaching in primary schools.

In collaboration with Kent Downs National Landscape, DEFRA and Lees Court Estate, this project underscores Turner Contemporary’s commitment to sustainability and celebrates the relationship between art, ecology, and agriculture in Kent. By engaging students with the rich heritage of the region’s apple orchards, the programme fosters a deeper appreciation for nature and promotes environmental stewardship from an early age.

Anya Gallaccio: preserve is curated by Melissa Blanchflower, Senior Curator, Turner Contemporary.

preserve is the first in Turner Contemporary’s new Art+Environment programme strand, where curatorial research is generously supported by the John Ellerman Foundation.

The exhibition is generously supported by Thomas Dane Gallery, Henry Moore Foundation and Alexandra and Guy Halamish. Additional support comes from the Exhibition Supporters’ Circle: Helen van der Meij-Tcheng, Ivor Braka Ltd, and further supporters who wish to remain anonymous. The learning project An Apple a Day is funded by Farming in Protected Landscapes programme from DEFRA, the Kent Downs National Landscape (Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), with an additional grant from The Lunaria Trust. The exhibition was shortlisted for the Freelands Award 2022. Lees Court Estate and Creating Nature’s Corridors are Project Partners and In-Kind Supporters. Turner Contemporary thanks our public funders, Kent County Council and Arts Council England, for their continued support.

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