FLATLAND

Flatland is pleased to announce our partnership with Matt’s Gallery, and KARST as part of the next chapter of ‘Doorway Guardians’, a year-long touring collaborative project by artist Annie Whiles @annie.whiles The project continues to Bexhill at the entrance of our gallery joining an ongoing collaborative exchange of three large woodcarvings by Whiles. The sculptures are moving between partner venues across the year - occupying thresholds, entrances, and shared spaces, inviting touch, encounter, and exchange. Opening on 9 May at Flatland Projects the presentation coincides with the opening of ‘Manifestations For An Eternal Spring’, a new commission by Tawfik Naas @torfhick , launching the same weekend (on view until 16 August 2026 the weekend of @bexhillartweekender ). At Matt’s Gallery, London, Whiles’ woodcarving will be on show alongside ZYX, a new sound installation by Anna Barham (3 -28 June 2026) and at KARST, Plymouth alongside Faunal Succession, the first institutional UK exhibition by Lucía Pizzani (12 June - 1 Aug 2026). Doorway Guardians was developed by Whiles with support from Arts Council England (Developing Your Creative Practice grant) and Goldsmiths, University of London. The exhibition is a partnership between Matt’s Gallery, London; KARST, Plymouth; and Flatland Bexhill with support from the Henry Moore Foundation and Arts Council England. @mattsgallerylondon @karstgallery @annie.whiles ❤️

Commission Announcement: ‘Manifestations For An Eternal Spring’ Tawfik Naas @torfhick 09 May – 16 August 2026 Flatland Projects presents a new commission and the first institutional solo exhibition by researcher Tawfik Naas. Developed as a choreography of research, the exhibition unfolds across the gallery as a series of encounters. Sculptural bodies—“Orchards”—appear in states of emergence and transition, holding past and present in tension rather than resolution. Working through the framework of “Returning,” Naas considers what it means to encounter history again—not as something fixed or distant, but as something that continues to move through material, space and the body. This new commission marks a significant development in Naas’ wider research, shifting from extraction toward the experience of return itself. Public Opening: 09 May 2026, 14:00–18:00 Flatland Projects, Bexhill-on-Sea — Tawfik Naas Manifestations For An Eternal Spring has been generously supported by essential funds from the Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, Chalk Cliff Trust and Rother District Council, with additional support from the De La Warr Pavilion. @henrymoorefdn_grants #ArtsCouncilEngland @rother_district_council #ChalkCliffTrust

‘Manifestations for an Eternal Spring’ the first institutional solo commission by Tawfik Naas is officially open to the public following a highly successful opening weekend. The gallery is open 12-4pm Thurs, Fri, Sat and open by appointments the rest of the week. The show runs until the 16th August and closes as part of the Bexhill Art Weekender. This new commission by Flatland Projects has been generously supported by essential funds from the Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, Chalk Cliff Trust and Rother District Council, with additional support from the De La Warr Pavilion. For any press enquiries please email or direct message this account. @torfhick 📷 @phoebewingrove

Wonderful people at the weekend celebrating our latest commission ‘Manifestations for an Eternal Spring’ by Tawfik Naas and ‘Doorway Guardians’ by Annie Whiles arriving in Bexhill on their UK tour in partnership with @mattsgallerylondon & @karstgallery 🔮☀️💘 📷 @alinas.snaps 🩵✨

💛📸 Tawfik Naas at Flatland Projects @torfhick @flatland_projects

[From the archive:] The first ever Flatland exhibition in the cellar of Borough Wines, Robertson Street, Hastings. Scalands a group exhibition including @louisnewby @tanoasasraku @izzydubois & @ex.sses ( @_earwaxx ) (September 2018) as part of @coastalcurrentsfestival I had many hopes and dreams for the gallery at this time, full of the diy spirit which underpins everything still today despite the growth of the organisation, I honestly would have never dreamt that what it is today would be the asset it is to the artistic eco system of East Sussex. I am immensely proud of what Billy and I started back then, and still now. I am currently writing the agenda for our first official board meeting this week coming and doing lots of reflection as we gear up towards fundraising for our 10 year celebrations in 2028. 🖤 #FlatlandForever

2026 Artist Writing Forum! Apply Now! Link in bio 📖🐛 for more info head to our website! flatlandprojects.com/opportunities Deadline Friday 15th May @12 midday

New sensory bags designed for our newest commission ‘Manifestations for an Eternal Spring’ by Tawfik Naas and ‘Doorway Guardians’ by Annie Whiles designed by our Programme Assistant Kitty McCarron. Our sensory bags include tactile materials, water cubes, Libyan stamp reproductions, seeds, a magnifying glass and a contemplative sand timer to support slower, multi-sensory ways of experiencing the exhibitions. The bags connect directly to the artists’ materials and research, inviting visitors to engage through touch, reflection, grounding and close observation. Image description: A sensory bag toolkit is arranged across a muted green-grey exhibition plinth at Flatland Projects. The objects include a magnifying glass, a small green sand timer, a strip of oak wood, a block of water-resistant MDF, blue glass water cubes, packets of sunflower and dahlia seeds, and reproductions of Libyan postage stamps featured within Manifestations For An Eternal Spring by Tawfik Naas. The materials are carefully spaced across the textured surface, echoing the contemplative and research-led atmosphere of the exhibition. @torfhick @annie.whiles @k.mccrrn Opening party tomorrow 14:00-18:00 all welcome! ☀️🩵✨

New additions to our Bexhill Artist Research Centre ( BARC ) !!! - Crip Time by Susanne Pfeffer, wonderfully suggested by BARC regular @florence_curates 💚 - @poppymjones first monograph, spotlighting ninety works made over the past four years. Her exhibition ‘Frozen Sun’ runs until the 31st May at @townergallery 🎈 - @sophybarber first monograph published on the occasion of her solo exhibition ‘Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry’ at @hastings.contemporary 🌞 BARC is open alongside the opening times of our exhibitions ( 12 - 4 , Thursday - Saturday ) and free to book. Alongside these new additions, BARC houses our founding collection of circa 1000 artist catalogues, artist made publications, and archival material which is available for artists and our creative community to access.

Matt’s Gallery, KARST, and Flatland are pleased to announce the next chapter of Doorway Guardians, a year-long touring collaborative project by artist Annie Whiles. The project continues with Flatland Projects, Bexhill joining an ongoing collaborative exchange of three large woodcarvings by Whiles. The sculptures are moving between partner venues across the year - occupying thresholds, entrances, and shared spaces, inviting touch, encounter, and exchange. Opening on 9 May at Flatland Projects the presentation coincides with the opening of Manifestations For An Eternal Spring, a new commission by Tawfik Naas, launching the same weekend (on view until 16 August 2026). At Matt’s Gallery, London, Whiles’ woodcarving will be on show alongside ZYX, a new sound installation by Anna Barham (3 -28 June 2026) and at KARST, Plymouth alongside Faunal Succession, the first institutional UK exhibition by Lucía Pizzani (12 June - 1 Aug 2026). Doorway Guardians was developed by Whiles with support from Arts Council England (Developing Your Creative Practice grant) and Goldsmiths, University of London. The exhibition is a partnership between Matt’s Gallery, London; KARST, Plymouth; and Flatland Bexhill with support from the Henry Moore Foundation and Arts Council England.

UPDATE: Extension to deadline 15th May 2026 12pm. Thank you to all those who have already submitted their applications to become part of our 2026 cohort! Applications are still open for the Artist Writing Forum 2026 - a free 3-month programme designed for artists curious about writing or looking to deepen an existing practice. Expect workshops, peer sharing, and space to experiment with new ideas in a supportive group setting. Where: Flatland Projects, Bexhill-on-Sea When: May - July (5 sessions total) Free to attend (with limited paid places for returning forum members) !! Deadline: 15th May 2026 12pm Link in bio to sign up!! The artist writing forum is funded by generous support from Arts Council England and Rother District Council.

Tawfik Naas - ‘Manifestations For An Eternal Spring’ opens in just under 2 weeks! 🩵✨ 09 May – 16 August 2026 Public Opening: 09 May 2026, 14:00–18:00 - all are welcome! Flatland Projects is proud to present Manifestations for an Eternal Spring, a new commission and the first institutional solo exhibition by researcher Tawfik Naas. Developed through an ongoing body of research, the exhibition unfolds as what Naas describes as a choreography of research. Rather than a fixed installation, works are positioned across the gallery as sites of encounter, held within a wider conceptual framework the researcher terms “Returning.” For Naas, returning is not a simple act of looking back. It operates across three simultaneous positions: a return from the distance created by time; a return to the moment of re-encounter; and a position in between, where past and present are held together. The works in the exhibition occupy this middle condition, resisting resolution and instead sustaining a state of entanglement. Pictured here is an in progress studio image of ‘Contact Binary: Porcelain Oil Burner / Bag of Air = Fish Bladder / Almond’ (2026). Photo courtesy of the artist. This new commission by Flatland Projects has been generously supported by essential funds from the Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, Chalk Cliff Trust and Rother District Council, with additional support from the De La Warr Pavilion. ID: A hand holds a white sculptural form over an artist studio research desk. The object is a re-imagination of a porcelain lamp, 3D printed by the artist, and is secured with two black clamps, indicating it is being assembled or set. Its shape is organic and slightly surreal, with curved extensions that reinterpret the structure of a traditional lamp. The desk is arranged with making tools and materials, including tape, a craft knife, paper, containers, and a water bottle. In the background, softly coloured artworks lean against the wall, with pale blues, greens, and yellows forming fluid, abstract compositions. Paint marks on the floor suggest an active working environment.