Ruins, Monuments and Follies, Nils Norman

This commission by Nils Norman addressed Portsmouth’s urban landscape. The exhibition in the gallery was accompanied by a series of poster works by the artist in bus shelters around Portsmouth and a long-term mural for Gunwharf Quay’s pedestrian subway. Ruins, Monuments and Follies explored the changing nature of public space, city design, and the challenges of urban ecology.

The exhibition itself included sculptures and digital drawings featuring local architectural landmarks, adapted and ‘recycled’ by the artist. We were invited to re-imagine the city, considering how urban life could be more sustainable, the DIY reclamation of public space by local people and the re-appropriation of history.

Nils Norman is based in London and has exhibited internationally. Commissions in 2007 included Tate Modern, Piccadilly Circus underground station in London, as well as exhibitions in Vienna, Seville and Miami.