The relationship between man, the natural world and its future will be explored in a unique new exhibition in Honiton from internationally acclaimed British artist Richard Long.

Spanning 40 years (1966 – 2006) of Long's artistic practice, starting with his early experiments near his home town of Bristol, there will be 21 works on show, presenting the full breadth of Long's practice, including photography, sculpture, text, material, drawings, maps and diagrams.

The exhibition, Being in the Moment at Honiton's Thelma Hulbert Gallery, marks the launch of a year-long Culture and Climate 2020 programme of exhibitions, symposiums and events that are set against the context of East Devon District Council's commitment to Devon's Climate Change Emergency declaration, and the University of Exeter's declaration of an environment and climate emergency.

Central to the exhibition is the work Being in the Moment, a portfolio of four lithographs on display from the Tate collection for the first time.

The work demonstrates not only the continuity in Long's methods and practice (1960-99), but his affinity with landscapes across the world, from Britain to Tanzania and Ecuador.

The first image in the series was taken while Long walked the length of mainland Britain starting at the Lizard.

A road can be seen running into a pine forest, past sheep grazing beneath the words 'Being in the Moment'. It suggests a process of absorption in the landscape through a personal, human scale way of being with nature.

Richard Long, Being in the Moment, draws from ARTIST ROOMS, a touring collection of over 1,600 works of modern and contemporary art by more than 40 major international artists. The collection is displayed across the UK through a touring programme of solo exhibitions, supported by Arts Council England, Art Fund and Creative Scotland.

The exhibition will showcase Long's radical approach to working with nature. For more than 50 years, Long has been at the forefront of conceptual art working beyond the confines of traditional material and questioning how we view the relationship between landscapes and art. His investigations into nature, using mediums such as walking, and found materials, remain as relevant today as they ever were.

Long has a particular empathy with the south-west, with Devon in particular proving a constant source of inspiration.

A Hundred Mile Walk records a walk Long made on Dartmoor during New Year 1971–2, repeatedly following a circular route, documenting sounds both heard and remembered.

Long's approach to his artistic practice is very personal, from the collecting mud from his local River Avon and Delabole slate from Cornwall, to the way the work is made, positioning stone using his hands or making gestures with his feet.

Ruth Gooding, Manager/Curator Thelma Hulbert Gallery said: "This exhibition is an invitation to rethink the relationship between art and the rural and how we connect to and understand space.

"Thelma Hulbert Gallery is uniquely situated, nestled between two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and only 9 miles from the world Heritage Jurassic Coast. Walking is a very popular pursuit in the area and we hope this exhibition will inspire audiences to rethink walking as not just a journey from A to B, but as an art form."

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