“The co-existence of animals, humans, and nature is the thread that connects Binnie’s work.” — Jennifer Higgie
“We require each other in unexpected collaborations and combinations, in hot compost piles. We become-with each other or not at all.” — Donna J. Haraway
Richard Saltoun Gallery presents British artist Jennifer BINNIE’s (b.1958) inaugural solo exhibition with the gallery. Forest Visions spans paintings and works on paper from the 1980s to the present day, celebrating over four decades of Binnie’s pioneering practice that converges influences from folklore, spirituality, feminism, and ecological thought.
This exhibition follows Binnie’s recent inclusion in major institutional shows such as Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Tate Britain, now touring at the National Galleries of Scotland (2024/25), and RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology at the Barbican Centre (2024).
Jennifer Binnie emerged as a pivotal figure in British art during the early 1980s, as co-founder of the Neo Naturists, an important performance art group formed in 1981 with her sister, Christine Binnie, and Wilma Johnson. Rooted in the subculture of the New Romantic club scene, the Neo Naturists developed amid the transformative economic, political, and social shifts of the era.
Binnie’s distinctive solo practice developed in parallel, as she started exhibiting her paintings with gallerist James Birch in London from the 80s onwards, garnering critical praise from influential critics such as Louisa Buck. Her artistic language has since developed around a persistent exploration of dissolving hierarchies between the human and non-human; her paintings depict mysterious forests humming with unseen energies; animals acting as guides and companions; and human figures merging with trees and landscapes, suggesting a shared life source.
Drawing on a range of influences from prehistoric cave paintings to the performance art of Helen Chadwick and Bruce Lacey, Binnie’s practice defies linear interpretation, operating instead through symbols, metaphors, and intuition. Donna Haraway’s ecofeminist philosophy, which challenges patriarchal hierarchies and insists on “becoming-with” the natural world, resonates deeply within her work. Her recurring motifs—deer, foxes, and radiant, archetypal women—capture the interconnectedness of all life forms, a theme echoed in the simple red hearts she paints on human and non-human figures alike. She explains that “it’s the connection between the beating heart of life that’s in both.”
In this exhibition, Binnie’s enduring meditations on humanity’s relationship to the natural world unfold across a selection of key paintings, which blend personal autobiography with fictional and symbolic narratives. In their colour palette, they are bold and thrilling, mixing earthy colours with dramatic jewel tones, and employing rich, textural oil paint.
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