Newport Street Gallery presents two new exhibitions, Raging Planet and The Power and the Glory, running from 28 March to 31 August 2025. Both exhibitions are curated by Connor Hirst, with artworks drawn from Damien Hirst’s collection.
(Main image: Hwang Samyong, Pebbles – Green)
Raging Planet
Raging Planet is a group exhibition featuring works by Angela Bulloch, Roger Hiorns, Oliver Marsden, Hwang Samyong, Bosco Sodi, and Keith Tyson. Spanning three galleries on the ground floor, the show explores different ways artists engage with the natural world through paintings, sculptures, and installations.
:Installation View :Raging Planet 28 March – 31 August 2025 Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd Artworks © The artist/artist’s estate, All rights reserved.
Roger Hiorns showcases sculptures and paintings encrusted with copper sulphate crystals. His work often uses unconventional materials like industrial objects and organic substances. Bosco Sodi’s large-scale paintings incorporate sawdust, pigment, and other natural materials, creating surfaces that resemble weathered landscapes. Keith Tyson’s works, in which paint and chemicals react on acid-primed aluminium panels, highlight the unpredictable forces of nature.
Hwang Samyong’s iridescent pebbles, made from inlaid mother-of-pearl, are also displayed, alongside Oliver Marsden’s abstract paintings that reflect natural resonances, creating hypnotic effects through patterns of sound and colour. Angela Bulloch’s multimedia works, including her ‘pixel boxes’ and interactive sound installations, investigate the relationship between science, technology, and nature.
The Power and the Glory
The Power and the Glory features a selection of scholars’ rocks, displayed alongside archive photographs documenting the atomic age. Spanning three galleries upstairs, the show explores the relationship between nature, technology, and humanity.
Scholars’ rocks, or gongshi, are naturally formed stones that have been collected and admired in East Asia for centuries. They are valued for their texture, abstract shapes, and resemblance to natural landscapes. The exhibition displays a variety of scholars’ rocks, including Taihu stones and translucent agates, each chosen for its unique appearance and historical significance.
Alongside the rocks, The Power and the Glory presents a series of archival photographs from key moments in the history of nuclear science and warfare. These include images from nuclear weapons tests such as the Trinity test in 1945, U.S. tests at Bikini Atoll between 1946 and 1958, and French nuclear tests in the 1960s. Additionally, the exhibition includes photographs documenting the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
While scholars’ rocks have traditionally been objects of contemplation and reverence, the photographs of nuclear tests and their aftermath highlight humanity’s destructive use of natural forces. Together, the rocks and photographs provide a reflection on the complex relationship between humans, technology, and nature.
Both exhibitions are arranged in association with HENI, and are accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.
Raging Planet and The Power and the Glory
28 March – 31 August 2025
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Newport Street Gallery, Newport Street, London SE11 6AJ
Free Entry
