Born in Nigeria and now based in London, Tonye Ekine is inspired by memories, familiar stories, and shared histories. This is the first time his work is being shown in Devon. Many of the artworks include the Ife bronze mask, an important symbol from the Yoruba city of Ife. For Tonye, the mask connects him to his heritage and carries stories, feelings, and strength from the past into the present. 

Getting to know ourselves is often a lifetime’s journey: this can feel all the truer - and harder - when we’re neurodivergent and belonging is hard to come by. Becoming Visible captures the work of a group of neurodivergent young people aged 14 to 23 from across Northern Devon. Between January and March 2026, they gathered fortnightly at Studio KIND to nurture or awaken their creativity and build new connections. Led by local artist Nicky Ruddick, the young people began with the stimulus of ’spirals’ and continued to use a variety of mediums to explore interests, imagination, identity and experience. This exhibition brings together the work created during these sessions alongside a selection of work made by local artists with lived experience of neurodivergence in a celebration of how our inner and outer selves emerge through creative expression.

Jess Scott is an artist and filmmaker whose work is centred around the audience, is rooted in storytelling tradition, in a modern, digital world. Obsessed with how we record and are recorded, how we view and are viewed, their practice experiments with photography and film mediums as a way of exploring narrative. Their work is often biographical, observing their place within the world, and often using her art to share and process personal experiences as a tool to connect with the audience. 

The Studio KIND Summer Open returns for its fourth year, inviting artists from across Devon to be part of this exciting celebration of creativity and contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition highlights the breadth and diversity of work being produced across the region, and is open to artists at all stages of their careers working across all mediums including painting, photography, moving image, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and ceramics. Taking place at the height of summer, when North Devon welcomes visitors from far and wide, the Studio KIND Summer Open is an opportunity to reach new audiences and showcase what our arts community has to offer.