The New Art Gallery Walsall to launch a major new exhibition by Charmaine Watkiss
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The New Art Gallery Walsall is delighted to announce the forthcoming opening of The things we hold sacred, a major new solo exhibition by acclaimed British artist Charmaine Watkiss.
Opening on Saturday 3 October 2026 and running until Sunday 11 April 2027, the exhibition will present an inspiring collection of new and existing works. Admission to the exhibition is free.
Charmaine has become known for her research-based drawing practice which focuses on plant knowledge handed down through generations of Caribbean families and tracing the lineage to Africa through the transatlantic slave trade. She is particularly interested in healing traditions passed down the maternal line, reflected in her work through constructed narratives around women.
Central to the exhibition will be a brand-new commissioned sculptural installation, The lineage of plants, supported by Jerwood Art Fund Commissions and delivered in partnership with Coventry University’s School of Arts and Creative Industries. Following the exhibition, the installation will become part of the Gallery’s Permanent Collection, marking the first sculptural installation by Charmaine Watkiss to enter a UK public collection.
The lineage of plants (2026), is a monumental suspended sculptural installation which can be seen as a three dimensional embodiment of her ongoing Plant Warrior series, and responds to the idea that plants have different stages of spiritual development, just like humans. The elaborate neckpieces worn by Watkiss’s warriors are transformed into sculptural forms, using a wide range of carefully considered materials such as clay, porcelain, copper, brass, papier-maché, wood and crystals. Each pays tribute to the aesthetic, medicinal and spiritual properties of particular plants and seeds. Three of the neckpieces are accompanied by floating crinoline skirts, suggesting both the presence and absence of the warrior protagonists.
A further brand new sculptural installation, Still waters, has been supported by Henry Moore Foundation.
“ We are incredibly proud to welcome Charmaine Watkiss to The New Art Gallery Walsall for what promises to be a remarkable exhibition. The things we hold sacred will offer visitors a powerful and thought-provoking experience, exploring themes of heritage, identity and belonging through exceptional contemporary art.”
The new sculptural commission is a significant addition to Walsall's collection. We look forward to welcoming residents and visitors from across the region and beyond to experience this exhibition."
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“ This has been an incredible opportunity to create new ambitious works that would not be possible otherwise. Through working with technicians and students at Coventry University, I have been able to experiment with a wide range of materials and processes which has been transformative to my practice. “
For more information about the exhibition and what's on at The New Art Gallery Walsall, visit the Gallery's website.
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Notes to editors
Exhibition Details
Charmaine Watkiss: The things we hold sacred. Dates: Saturday 3 October 2026 – Sunday 11 April 2027.
About Charmaine Watkiss RWA
Charmaine Watkiss RWA is a British artist whose practice investigates the botanical legacy of the Caribbean. She is particularly interested in healing traditions handed down through the matrilineal line, and her work reflects this through constructed narratives around women. She accesses public archives which serve as a material from which she constructs narrative responses. Her compositions of women all use her own likeness as a way of enacting what she calls ‘memory stories’, channelling a multitude of strong female archetypes in order to inform her works on paper, some as large as life sized.
Notable exhibitions include:
- 2026: From the ones who came before, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter
- 2025-6: Artists First, National Portrait Gallery, London; Plant Dreaming, Leeds Art Gallery
- 2024: Legacy (Solo), Abbot Hall; In Praise of Black Errantry (Venice Biennale);
- 2025: Hard Graft, Wellcome Collection, London
- 2023: Liverpool Biennial; O Quilombismo, Berlin; Spirit in the Land, Nasher Museum.
- 2022: The Wisdom Tree (Solo), Leeds Art Gallery; Drawing Attention, British Museum.
Her work is held in private and public collections including: The British Museum, London UK; The Government Art Collection, London UK; Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford UK; Abbott Hall Museum, Kendal, UK; and the Nasher Museum at Duke University, Durham NC USA, Katrin Bellinger collection.
Charmaine is an independent artist who lives and works in London.
About Art Fund
Art Fund is the national charity for museums and galleries. For over 120 years, it has helped institutions across the UK to develop and share their collections, invest in people and expertise, grow their audiences and inspire the next generation.
Art Fund connects museums and people with great art and culture through funding, advocacy and initiatives, because access to art is vital for a healthy society. It champions the sector through the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award - the world’s largest museum prize - and supports museum professionals through dedicated training and grant programmes.
Independent and people-powered, Art Fund is supported by 142,000 members who buy a National Art Pass, as well as generous contributions from individuals, trusts and foundations. The National Art Pass offers free or discounted entry to over 1,000 museums, galleries and historic places in the UK, 50% off major exhibitions, a subscription to Art Quarterly magazine and Art In Your Inbox newsletter. To find out more, visit: www.artfund.org
About Jerwood Foundation
Established in 1977 for John Jerwood MC (1918-1991) by Alan Grieve CBE (1928-2025), Jerwood Foundation is a UK charity committed to supporting excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK. Alan Grieve served as Chairman for over 30 years and the organisation is now led by Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee. To date Jerwood Foundation has committed over £113 million to support the arts in the UK.
Jerwood Foundation owns the Jerwood Collection of modern and contemporary art and an important part of Jerwood’s philanthropic mission is delivered by the Collection through its loaning programme and promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of art.
Also included in the Jerwood group of organisations is Jerwood Space, which was Jerwood’s first major capital project when established by Jerwood Foundation in Southwark in 1998. Jerwood Space is a dedicated rehearsal space providing theatre, musical theatre, opera and dance companies with an outstanding environment within which to create their work. For more information, visit: www.jerwood.org
About Henry Moore Foundation
The Henry Moore Foundation was founded by the artist and his family in 1977 to encourage public appreciation of the visual arts. Today we support innovative sculpture projects, devise an imaginative programme of exhibitions and research worldwide, and preserve the legacy of Moore himself, one of the great sculptors of the 20th century, who did so much to bring the art form to a wider audience. henry-moore.org
