For the first time in fifty years of work in Kuwait, the British Council in collaboration with CAP Kuwait, hosted a large scale Visual Arts exhibition: 'Out of Britain'. The exhibition presented key artworks selected from the British Council collection and explored the theme 100 years of British landscape Art.
'Out of Britain' has toured to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and finally to Oman in November 2012. The exhibition featured over 50 artworks and examined the ways in which artists have engaged with landscape and addressed fundamental questions about man's place in the world. Structured around an imagined journey, the display began in the city and lead out into the countryside to follow the coastline before ultimately returning to an urban landscape. The works in the show illustrated individual artist’s attempts to find their place amongst an ever-changing environment, where they were often driven to challenge traditional ways of interpreting and framing the landscape.
The works in 'Out of Britain' were entirely appropriate for the British Council’s first arts event in Kuwait. Whilst showcasing the best of British Landscape Art, the subject matter of the exhibition captured something that was universal. The exhibition offered a great starting point for dialogue on a range of topics. Every work of art suggested a different idea, issue or point of view. For this reason 'Out of Britain' was a fantastic resource to explore subjects related to contemporary society, environment, development, geography, anthropology, etc. and the exhibition was interesting for audiences from all backgrounds.