Through her dreamlike art, Emma Talbot draws on her personal experiences and research to explore some of the most pressing issues of our times, from humanity’s relationship with the natural world and the power structures that bind us, to the power of art and the nature of love and loss.
Talbot was born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands and grew up in London and Kent. She studied at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. In 2020 she won the Max Mara Artv Prize for Women and has since become one of the most celebrated British artists, exhibiting her work internationally.
How We Learn to Love is the largest Exhibition of Talbot’s art in the UK to date and includes many works that have not been shown in this country before. It spans every medium that she uses including drawing, painting, sculpture and animation, and highlights her sensitivity to materials and continual artistic expermentation.
At its core, Talbot’s art is about how we make sense of the world and find meaning in our lives. In this moment of uncertainty and conflict, she urges us to reconnect with the acient wisdom of our ancestors , tune in to nature and harness love and compassion to build a better future.
For Compton Verney Emma Talbot has assembled a collection of new and recent work that powerfully explores the experience of life; from birth to death.
At the heart of the exhibition is her epic, new installation The Tragedies (2024), which draws on examples of tragedies, such as that of the Ancient Greek story of Medea – who killed her two sons as an act of revenge. The work is a reflection on the extent of unbelievable acts of aggression that exist in times of confrontation, such as the compulsion to kill to retain control.
Curated by Oli McCall
Photography Jamie Woodley, Courtesy Compton Verney, Warwickshire