David Crouch - A cultural Landscape

21 May–27 June, 2026 / Preview: Friday 22 May, 6pm–9pm

Beam is delighted to present our first exhibition of paintings and works on paper by David Crouch. A highly respected academic in the field of Cultural Geography, Crouch’s sensitive and atmospheric paintings reflect the artist’s interest in the human experience within spaces and locations. Crouch’s 1989 book ‘The Allotment’ explores the cultural history and modern-day significance of allotments across the UK as a place of community and self-sufficiency. Now regarded as a classic, the book was followed by a BBC 2 TV series.

Nottingham’s own Hungerhill Gardens in the St Ann’s suburb of Nottingham, one of the most significant Victorian sites in Europe, has also featured in Crouch’s work. Crouch also worked with Channel 4 to create a National Allotments Heritage trail, book and TV in the early 90s, challenging the notion of what could be classified as ‘heritage’ in a period when allotments were under threat from commercial development.

Crouch has written extensively on the relationship between space and creativity, in particular his 2010 ‘Flirting with Space: Journeys and Creativity’, which includes a key text on the work of the mid-twentieth century modernist Cornish painter, Peter Lanyon, a key influence in Crouch’s own artistic practice. He has also collaborated with Photographer Richard Grassick on the book ‘People of the Hills’.

The paintings and works on paper in the current exhibition are informed by his research and tend not to describe specific locations, but are an experiential response—walking, working and paying attention to the feeling of a space is what informs these gentle and atmospheric works. Colour and mark are used to express a sense of location and character without being explicitly pictorial.

Biography

David Crouch is Professor Emeritus in Cultural Geography and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Derby UK, Principal Researcher in the 4* Identity, Conflict and Representation Research Centre, member of the Culture and lifestyle Research Group. He is an associate of the Department of Geography, University of Nottingham UK. He has been a frequent visiting Professor and research advisor at several European Universities and international academic networks.

Crouch makes many distinctive contributions to conceptual debates in cultural geography. Crouch has over 200 published papers, books and articles and has shared his research extensively at universities and conferences worldwide.