CONCEPTUAL artist Ben Oakley is bringing a collection of work by ten artists, From The City To The Sea, to the gallery at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre, opening on 7th March and running to 19th April.

Ben explains: “After creating the Ben Oakley Gallery in 2010 as a platform for emerging artists, we have now upped our permanent London roots and decided to take this show on the road.” For sculptor Bobby Tonge, it’s a welcome opportunity to reacquaint himself with Poole: “I hiked around the UK in the 1980s and worked in the Haven Hotel in Poole. This is my first time back since so am excited to be here.”

Four of the artists in the show are a collective from London, Sussex and Yorkshire who have all shown in the WOMENCOURAGE exhibition curated by Ben Oakley Gallery at the Royal Society of Arts in the Strand and at St Christopher’s Hospice Care in South East London. Their work ranges from urban landscapes, spray paint and acrylics, to portraiture, abstract figurative oils and mixed media.

“We are delighted to introduce a Dorset-based artist to the WOMENCOURAGE collective as part of From the City to the Sea,” says Ben. “Sarah Jane Ross hails from Bridport, is influenced by nature and its stories, and focuses on seascapes.”

From the City to the Sea also includes the work of international artists from countries including Germany, England and Australia encompassing a contrasting array of styles including urban graffiti, abstract landscape, photorealism and assemblage.

A number of special events and public engagement activities are being planned with the help of the exhibiting artists, including a screenprint workshop on Saturday 22nd March.

The artists taking part are: Yvonne Wayling, Kim Tong, Jo Peel, Nikki Hill Smith, Sarah Ross, Ben Addison, David Bray, Sweler, Ben Oakley, Bobby Tonge.

Pictured: Ben Oakley; Meeting Point by Jo Peel; Lines and Circles by Sweler.