The Caravan Gallery exhibition at Mottisfont

A woman with a camera leans in to a rose bush at Mottisfont to take a photograph - a portrait by The Caravan Gallery

An outdoor exhibition of 32 quirky, colourful portraits taken in Mottisfont’s famous rose gardens during the summers of 2017 and 2018.

'A Good Year for the Roses' by The Caravan Gallery is on display from Saturday 9 March – Sunday 30 June 2019, 11am - 5pm, in the Beech Circle. Normal property admission price only.

The Caravan Gallery is a colourful mobile exhibition venue and visual arts project run by artists and photographers Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale, who use photography to create accessible but thought-provoking images celebrating overlooked and occasionally bizarre aspects of everyday life.

The Caravan Gallery was installed in the Beech Circle as a base for exploring the house and grounds in June 2017, with a particular focus on how visitors engage with our famous rose gardens. Unfortunately, gale force winds and torrential rain limited the number of visitors and opportunities for photography.

However, Chris and Jan were able to make a return visit in 2018, when they were able to photograph the resplendent colours of the rose garden provided by both the flowers and the visitors. The resulting photographs form the basis of this exhibition: 'A Good Year for the Roses'.

Blooming roses and summer clothing mean The Caravan Gallery's portraits are full of colour
The back of a woman surrounded by flowers in the rose garden at Mottisfont - a portrait by The Caravan Gallery
Blooming roses and summer clothing mean The Caravan Gallery's portraits are full of colour

The history of The Caravan Gallery

Since setting up in 2000, The Caravan Gallery has travelled thousands of miles and exhibited in hundreds of locations in the UK and abroad, sharing images from an ever-expanding photographic archive with the most diverse audience imaginable.

Equally at home exhibiting in a shopping centre car park or prestigious arts venue, The Caravan Gallery invites visitors to respond to observations of their locality.

The Caravan Gallery took up residency in the Beech Circle in 2017
A yellow caravan art gallery surrounded by visitors in the Beech Circle at Mottisfont
The Caravan Gallery took up residency in the Beech Circle in 2017

People’s enthusiasm to share their own impressions inspired The Caravan Gallery to devise participatory Pride of Place Projects in partnership with local arts organisations.

Part evolving exhibition, part alternative visitor information centre, these projects give local people an opportunity to explore their surroundings in a creative way by contributing to our display.

Find out more at www.thecaravangallery.photography