New contemporary art exhibition opens this May at Nottingham Castle, exploring trees, forests, and the legacy of the Major Oak
This spring, FOREST opens at Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery. This exciting exhibition brings together a powerful new collection of contemporary artworks inspired by the mystery, beauty, and symbolism of trees and woodland life.
The exhibition features six newly commissioned works made especially for Nottingham Castle, alongside artworks on loan to the city for the first time. These sit alongside rarely seen prints, drawings, and photographs from Nottingham’s own collection, including the iconic 1882 painting of the Major Oak by Nottingham-born artist Andrew MacCallum.
Through sculpture, painting, sound, and film, FOREST explores personal and cultural connections to trees and forests. Some artists will draw inspiration from lived experience of Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak, while others will reflect on the forest as a place of myth, memory, and transformation, touching on themes of grief, folklore, and climate change.
Featured artists include Arianne Churchman, Tim Fowler, Jelly Green, Jasper Goodall, Yelena Popova, and many more, with strong representation from artists based in Nottingham and the wider region.
Our involvement
As part of the FOREST exhibition, the Institute is supporting a unique collaboration between artist Caroline Locke and researchers from across the University. Using laser scanning technology, engineers created a 3D model of the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, providing data that informed Locke’s new artwork exploring the vibrations and structure of this iconic tree. The project brought together expertise from Engineering, Biosciences, Geography and Music, highlighting the power of interdisciplinary research to support creative practice.
The team visited the Major Oak across all four seasons, capturing its changing presence through sound, film and data. This process forms the basis of a new four-screen video installation by artist and filmmaker Georgianna Scurfield, which is a key feature of the FOREST exhibition. Scheduled to be shown in the Square Gallery, the work brings together artistic and academic perspectives to offer a powerful, multi-sensory experience rooted in the life of this legendary tree.
Mo Zhou, a PhD student in our Department of Music, has also created a sound walk that will transport you back 1,000 years into the heart of Sherwood Forest. This can be downloaded free of charge by visitors as they roam the castle grounds.
There will be a public preview on Friday 23 May, 6–8pm, with artists and project partners in attendance. Maria Richards, Head of Public Engagement at the University of Nottingham, will give a brief speech. This preview is free but you need to book ahead!
The main exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 24 May and runs until Sunday 2 November 2025.