The Shape of a Spell

The Shape of a Spell opens at Aspex on 18 September and runs until 15 November, with a preview evening on 17 September from 6pm to 8pm. It's a group show curated by Kenopsia, bringing together ten emerging graduate artists from universities across the South Coast as they take their first steps into professional careers. The exhibition is part of CVAN South East's Platform Graduate Award, an annual showcase of emerging talent.

The line-up draws from a few different campuses. Lucy Grant and Maisie Rose come from Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton; Katherine Bouleau and Ana Carceller Córdoba from UCA Farnham; Kai Grizzle and Sian Chungh, working as Chhainguns, from Southampton Solent University; Lauren Rufford and Helena Jane from the University of Portsmouth; and Phillippa Todd and Madeline Drake from Arts University Bournemouth.

Across those ten names, the work covers a fair bit of ground. Painting, sculpture, photography, film, textiles and illustration all play a part, and they're used to turn landscapes, materials, memories and lived experiences into imagined worlds rooted in folklore, memory, local histories and deep time. From there, the pieces move into nostalgia, identity, ecology, psychological experience, immigration and the built environment. It's a wide net to cast, but that's the point of a graduate showcase — seeing ten different ways of starting out.

Aspex is in the Vulcan Building, Portsmouth PO1 3BF. Entry is pay-what-you-can, with donations welcome, so you can chip in what you're comfortable with. The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, and there's step-free access and large-print texts available.