With the exhibition Skylarking at Soft Ground, Sheffield-based artist and DJ Ashley Holmes brings us with him through a journey of what it means to ‘belong’, and the pivotal parts that both music and local landscapes play in that.
One of the things that immediately strikes me on entering the exhibition is its carefully crafted use of space. It's one of the benefits of Arts Catalyst's Soft Ground venue on The Moor: it's spacious. Holmes fills this expanse with a curation of his visual and sonic inspirations from throughout his artistic career, as well as collaborations with creative peers including the writers Wemmy Ogunyankin and Akeem Balogun.
Vinyl records adorn the walls, a homage to Holmes's musical influences – from reggae to jungle and sound system culture. They also act as miniature portraits, in terms of the colourful aesthetics of the album covers but also as a window into how musical legacy – and in particular, Black British sound – has shaped artists of today.
