Arctic inspired exhibition opens at North Down Museum

auty of the Arctic while exploring the historical and environmental links between Northern Ireland and the High Arctic.

High Latitudes is a collection of paintings by County Down artists Julie Wilson and Susan Moody, inspired by the dramatic landscape and wildlife of Svalbard in the High Arctic, an area close to the North Pole that is under threat due to the environmental impact of climate change.

Each of the artists has travelled in Svalbard and the exhibition draws on the sights and experiences of their own polar adventures.

Speaking about the exhibition, Comber-based artist Julie Wilson said: “The High Arctic is a place of epic natural beauty but also of physical extremes and I have tried to capture that in my paintings.

“It is a frozen wilderness where polar bears outnumber humans; where temperatures plummet to -40; and where the sun sets for a full four months each year.

“I have always felt a magnetic pull towards the North. Svalbard challenged me on so many levels in terms of physicality, its scale, its isolation and harshness, but also its fragility and the emotional response that it prompted in me. For me this exhibition is my love song to the majestic, haunting beauty of the Arctic.”

Both artists were inspired by the spirit of those individuals who took part in early polar exploration, including Northern Ireland’s own Francis Crozier and the 1st Marquess of Dufferin from whose book Letters from High Latitudes (his account of sailing to Svalbard in 1856) the exhibition takes its name.

Artist Susan Moody said: “Both of us feel very keenly what a privilege it has been to get to visit this unique environment and see these awe-inspiring sights that really very few people get to witness at first hand.

“I think for each of us the experience has left an indelible mark. But for me in particular my personal moment of awe was encountering a polar bear in the wild and getting to watch and observe it. Those are the moments that will stay with me for a lifetime, and I’ve tried to capture that sense of awe and wonder in my paintings.”

Arlene Matthews, North Down Museum’s Manager, commented: “This exhibition captures the dichotomous nature of the Artic. An extreme, harsh and unyielding environment yet also beautiful, fragile and captivating. Julie and Susan’s works deliver a powerful message about the threat that climate change poses to the most vulnerable and unique environments in our world.”

The High Latitudes exhibition runs until April 6. Admission is free. For more information visit www.andculture.org.uk

The artists are giving a talk at the museum on February 20. Further information is available at https://andculture.org.uk/whats-on/fragile-beauty-art-exploration

Experienced County Down artist, Susan Moody predominantly uses oil paints to depict domestic and wild animals, either as formal portraits or in their natural environment.

Her exhibition paintings represent some of the animals she encountered and photographed during her 2015 trip to Spitzbergen.

Through her wildlife paintings Susan wants to create a powerful connection between the viewer and the animals, provoking reflection upon the challenges the animals face, which she witnessed first-hand during her travels.

Julie Wilson is an experienced artist who is based in north Down. Whilst her background was in textile design, for the past 10 years she has worked mainly in soft pastels, although also uses acrylics and monoprint in her work and keeps pen and ink sketchbooks.

She has been a committee member of the Pastel Society of Ireland for the past five years and regularly exhibits with the society.

Julie’s work mainly features land and seascapes. Memory, emotion and sense of place are significant influences as well as the environment – its power and its fragility. Her exhibition paintings are inspired by her travels in Svalbard in 2022.

Svalbard is an archipelago in the High Arctic, about 400 miles south of the North Pole. The whole archipelago covers an area slightly smaller than the UK, but it has only three main populated towns and only 50km of road.

The human population is 2,400; polar bear population 3,000.

For more information on North Down Museum and Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Arts and Heritage programme visit www.andculture.org.uk