Esme Lansdowne | Young Penwith Artist 2025

“My work is deeply rooted in the landscapes and cultural heritage of Cornwall, where I was raised and now live. Drawing inspiration from the elemental forces of nature and the textures of place, I engage in a material-led practice that explores themes of ‘Place’, ‘Home’, and ‘Exploration’. My process is grounded in an interrogation of materials – earth pigments derived from the land, assemblage techniques, and experiments in mediums like sculpture, sound, and film. These materials act as both tools and storytellers, capturing a physical and metaphysical rendering of time, place, and experience.

Through these explorations, I aim to bridge the seen and unseen, offering an emotional resonance of ‘home’ that transcends geography. My work seeks to connect with viewers by embedding traces of the land into each piece, creating a dialogue between environment and identity.”

Esme Lansdowne is a Cornish artist based in Penzance, UK. Raised in St. Ives, she grew up immersed in Cornwall’s rich artistic heritage and its rugged landscapes, which continue to shape her creative practice. Primarily a painter, Esme also works across assemblage, sculpture, sound, and film, producing work that is driven by process and materiality. By utilising natural pigments sourced from the landscapes she inhabits, Esme explores themes of place, home, and belonging.

An emerging artist with a growing reputation, Esme has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally. Her most recent exhibition, ‘Intertwined Narratives’ showing at TwentySix Gallery, Wellington, marks her debut in New Zealand and features works created during her residency at Driving Creek Pottery in the Coromandel. Her work has been featured at galleries such as Anima Mundi in St. Ives and the Tyler Gallery in Mousehole.

Esme’s practice reflects her commitment to the land and the stories it holds, creating art that resonates with a sense of history and connection.

The Young Penwith Artist programme was created in 2022 to run annually to support young artists based in Cornwall, by providing the artists with a funded exhibition in our studio gallery during our Associates Summer Exhibition. It’s a fantastic opportunity for artists aged 35 and under to submit work and engage with the gallery as a professional artist to create their own show. The exhibition is completely funded by the Penwith Society of Arts, with the goal of the programme to create stronger connections with younger artists based in Cornwall.