This summer, The Mechanised Image: Forty Years of Paupers Press celebrates one of the UK’s most respected fine art print and publishing studios. Running from 1 August – 5 September across both floors of Tremenheere Gallery, the exhibition brings together works by some of Britain’s most influential contemporary artists, revealing the enduring power of printmaking as a creative medium.
For Tremenheere, however, the exhibition carries a particularly meaningful connection. It is here that visitors can experience not only prints by James Turrell, but also the artwork that inspired them.
A Partnership in Print
For four decades, Paupers Press has collaborated with artists to explore how traditional printmaking techniques can extend and enrich contemporary practice. Rather than simply reproducing existing works, the studio encourages artists to embrace printmaking as a medium in its own right, developing new visual languages through etching, lithography and relief printing.
The exhibition features works by artists including Sarah Ball, Samuel Bassett, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Mat Collishaw, Damien Hirst, Christopher Le Brun, Andrew Litten, Grayson Perry, Hughie O’Donoghue, Paula Rego, Bob & Roberta Smith, James Turrell and Caroline Walker, demonstrating the remarkable breadth of artists who have worked with the studio over the past forty years.
James Turrell at Tremenheere
Tremenheere is home to two permanent installations by James Turrell, making it one of the few places in the UK where visitors can experience multiple works by the internationally renowned artist.
High on the hillside sits Tewlwolow Kernow (Skyspace), an elliptical chamber that frames the ever-changing Cornish sky. Here, light becomes the artwork. As clouds drift overhead and daylight shifts through the day, visitors are invited to slow down and experience perception itself as Turrell intended.
Hidden beneath the gardens lies Aqua Oscura, a remarkable camera obscura housed within a former Victorian water tank. In near-total darkness, the outside world is projected into the chamber through a tiny aperture, revealing an inverted image of the trees and sky above. It is a quietly extraordinary experience that transforms the familiar into something almost dreamlike.
Together, these works demonstrate Turrell’s lifelong fascination with light, perception and the act of seeing.
From Installation to Etching
The connection between James Turrell and Paupers Press reaches beyond the gallery walls.
Working in conjunction with Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Paupers Press produced a series of polymer gravure etchings inspired by Aqua Oscura. Created using long-exposure photography of the installation, the prints capture the elusive qualities of light that define the work itself, translating a fleeting sensory experience into a finely crafted edition. The series has since been exhibited internationally, including at the IFPDA Print Fair in New York and as part of the London Original Print Fair.
This collaboration demonstrates how printmaking can become an extension of artistic practice rather than a reproduction of it, preserving moments of perception while creating entirely new works.
Experience the Exhibition
The Mechanised Image: Forty Years of Paupers Press offers visitors the opportunity to discover the rich possibilities of contemporary printmaking while exploring the remarkable collaborations between artists and master printers.
For visitors to Tremenheere, the exhibition also provides a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of James Turrell’s work. After viewing the prints in the Gallery, step out into the gardens to experience Tewlwolow Kernow (Skyspace) and Aqua Oscura for yourself, seeing how light, landscape and printmaking come together in one extraordinary place.
The Mechanised Image: Forty Years of Paupers Press
1 August – 5 September 2026
Opening Event: Friday 31 July, 6–8pm (all welcome)
The exhibition runs across both floors of Tremenheere Gallery. Entry is free, with most works available to purchase.
