Brighton’s arts scene, to its credit, is not one to shy away from difficult topics. At Onca, the community-minded environmental arts charity behind the gallery on St George’s Place, workshops have been being held for months for anyone affected by cancer, encouraging members of the public to produce original artworks based on their experiences. These form the basis of ONCA’s latest exhibition in association with the Sussex Community NHS Trust and Brighton Science Festival, a multimedia display entitled ‘A Cancer Landscape’. The exhibition also features related paintings by esteemed artist Michele Angelo Petrone and fascinating physical, biomedical and diagnostic images from the Wellcome Medical Photographic Library.

The juxtaposition of emotional interpretations with stark medical images sets the scene for a visual exploration of all aspects of cancer, and an intimate, thought-provoking viewing experience. With Cancer Research now estimating that half of the UK population will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime, it’s worth taking the time to understand it more deeply. More information is available on the Onca Gallery website.

16th – 28th February 2015
Image detail from ‘The Maze of Trees’ by Michele Angelo Petrone