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An impressive new exhibition in Hull is inviting people to walk through an uncanny valley through everyday memories - exploring how memory works and what it means to truly, deeply, really remember.
The MagNorth team attended the show’s launch night at Artlink @ 87 Gallery earlier this summer and were so impressed by the exhibition’s collision of illustration, painting, ceramics and animation.
‘Savour This Moment’ is from East Riding-based artist Isobel Hill. The exhibition showcases her unusual and striking illustrative style and is deeply connected to her rural surroundings and everyday encounters.
Imaginative reflections
Isobel transforms ordinary moments into imaginative reflections through layered compositions and recurring personal motifs. Throughout the exhibition there are familiar houses, a local folly, Flamborough Lighthouse, agricultural tools, cutlery, and memories of her late West Highland White Terriers.
For anyone familiar with rural East Yorkshire life the work has a homely but also uncanny feel - which of our memories are real and does art and the act of creation change how we remember?
Poetry, drawing and digital manipulation serve as starting points for Hill, who builds surreal yet intimate scenes. Thrown ceramic lamps and hand-painted shades are placed at the heart of the exhibition, displayed on custom plinths to emphasise domestic comfort while also creating an atmosphere of reflection and solitude.
Ways of remembering
Isobel explained the powerful themes of nostalgia and remembering were shaping both her work and how she sees the world. “In this collection of works, I wanted to bring focus to the act of a person savouring both fond and unwelcome memories. Throughout these pieces, this notion is something I have explored in themes surrounding worry, everyday routine, and sense of place,” she said.
“It has been incredibly rewarding to then bring these ideas to life in paint, poetry, ceramics and now, light. For me, savouring moments is about holding tight to nostalgic happenings, whether good or bad and preserving what you can because it’s all that remains from that period in time.”
The Mag North team were struck by the way the show tiptoes between the charm of a quiet and unspoilt way of life in East Yorkshire often wanders close to solitude and despair in both the real and imagined worlds. Isobel was awarded the Kate Barton Painting Prize in 2020 and and has exhibited her work throughout the country over the past few years.
Tenderness and power
Bringing Isobel’s work to Artlink is local curator Becky Gee, who has worked closely with the artist to shape this exhibition for 87 Gallery. As Artlink’s in-house curator, Becky has championed artists from across Hull and East Yorkshire and is passionate about building opportunities for creative expression in the region.
Becky explained: “Isobel’s work balances the familiar and the strange in such a tender and powerful way. Savour This Moment not only offers us a chance to reflect on the overlooked or underappreciated moments in our daily lives, but also asks us to embrace stillness and uncertainty.”
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Lindsey Alvis, CEO of Artlink Hull, explained Isobel’s work saw something new and something strange in the everyday and was confident the show would be a springboard for one of the region’s most exciting talents. She said: “Her work invites us to notice the world differently and find beauty in fleeting moments. Supporting artists like Isobel, who are rooted in our region with nationally important artistic practice, is central to our mission to attract the best talent to Hull’.
The exhibition runs until September 20th 2025. ‘Savour This Moment’ is open Thursday to Saturday, 10am–4:30pm at 87 Gallery, Artlink Hull. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
