The intricacies of nature are transformed into breathtaking art by Trevor Ashby at Art Jericho, as SARAH MAYHEW discovers

THE devil is in the detail at the latest exhibition that opens at Art Jericho tomorrow and continues until December 23. Celebrating the structures of plants at different stages in their life cycle, Treasure Houses by Trevor Ashby is an archival-inspired photographic exhibition of images taken at the Eden Project in Cornwall over 14 months.

Treasure Houses comprises a collection of (very) limited edition images, each slightly different due to Ashby’s intuitive approach to printing that leads to variations in colour and tone.

For me, it is this touched-by-the-human-hand approach to practice that will see Art Jericho transformed into a treasure trove of intricate, faux Victoriana, memento mori in this exhibition.

This is a bold exhibition of quiet moments. The kind of moments that one can get lost in transfixed by the delicate, seemingly impossible intricacies of nature. Trevor Ashby lived, worked and taught in Oxford for many years exhibiting here from 1982, before moving to Cornwall, where these projects were executed; echoing Ashby’s interest in displacement, it was in Oxford that the director of Art Jericho initially encountered this body of Ashby’s work.

“The first place I saw Trevor’s work was on the wall visiting a friend’s house – and realised how stunning they were. “Then I met so many people who knew and appreciated his work, I realised how much pleasure an exhibition would bring, and realised I should invite him to exhibit at Art Jericho. Trevor taught and exhibited for many years in Oxford – colleagues and ex-pupils have already said how much they are looking forward to seeing this work.”

The director, Patricia Baker-Cassidy, continued: “As well as being hugely beautiful, I find the work witty, referencing the 19th century collection genre, that visual style like a musical riff, so they have a spirit of liveliness, though they are static images. “Because they are entirely dark-room work – no computer has breathed on them. The images have a very tactile quality, a density that the digital world cannot yet match.”

Ashby spent over a year working en plein air in Cornwall looked over only by the unnatural wonder of the Eden Project’s biomes, and the occasional visitor hot-footing it to the biomes’ man-made steamy tropics.

Prior to time spent at the Eden Project Ashby spent a year working at the Royal Cornwall Museum where he unearthed fragile, often over-looked objects from the archives.

With resonances that one might more readily associate with The Oxford University Museum of Natural History than Art Jericho, Ashby has acquired an aesthetic that combines curiosity with exquisite form. This aesthetic weighs heavy in Treasure Houses, which sees objects from nature placed on black velvet backgrounds, presented as precious objects captured on film and frozen in time.

The items are made all the more magnificent through the sumptuous printing process, the arresting richness of which enhances the detail of these potentially insignificant objects.

However, the work in Treasure Houses transcends its references to create subtle, yet boldly beautiful close-toned images that have their own opulence and possess a timeless assurance. As the artist explains: “Over the years, I have been influenced by changing situations and opportunities, as well as by the availability of different equipment and materials… Many of my subjects are fallen leaves and blossoms which lie unnoticed by visitors to the biomes.”

A timely exhibition, I am very much looking forward to changing pace, and taking time out to spend precious time considering the magnificent minutiae highlighted in Treasure Houses at Art Jericho between now and Christmas.

  • Treasure Houses by Trevor Ashby opens tomorrow and runs until 23 December at Art Jericho, King Street, Oxford.
  • It is open: Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm; Sunday 1- 5pm. Admission is free.
  • For more information about Trevor Ashby visit trevorashby.com