Yorkshire-based artist Claire Baxter has unveiled a new exhibition exploring six decades of youth culture, fashion and music through a collection of oil paintings set against familiar locations across the county.
The exhibition, titled Bygone Yorkshire, comprises six paintings created over five months.
Each work documents a distinct era of British subculture, from the post-war rebellion of the 1950s through to the gothic aesthetic of the 2000s.
The collection traces its subject matter through specific Yorkshire settings that have undergone significant transformation over the years.
Saltaire provides the backdrop for an examination of the 1950s Teddy Boy movement, with the former textile mill framing scenes of youthful defiance.
The 1960s Mod subculture is represented through imagery of gatherings on Scarborough seafront, near the former Luna Park site.
Knaresborough features in a painting depicting 1970s punks outside the former bus station, a structure long since demolished.
The 1980s New Romantic movement is captured outside Harrogate’s Old Market Hall, another venue that no longer exists in its original form.
A Leeds nightclub, the former Majestyk establishment, serves as the setting for a work exploring 1990s pop culture and the emergence of girl power.
The sole location that remains substantially unchanged is Whitby Abbey, which continues to stand but has not functioned as a working abbey for centuries.
The ruins instead now attract visitors associated with gothic subcultures, adding what the artist describes as an additional dimension to the project.
The exhibition examines how spaces retain significance even as their physical form or purpose alters.
Buildings face demolition or redevelopment, while those that survive often acquire new meanings as their communities evolve.
The works combine documentation of fashion, music and social movements with consideration of the geographical settings that witnessed these developments.
Baxter previously received national recognition in 2020 when appointed as the official artist for the Tour de Yorkshire cycling event.
The engagement attracted considerable media coverage before the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bygone Yorkshire runs from Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September at Claire Baxter Gallery, located at 3 Castlegate in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.
Original paintings and limited edition prints will be available for purchase during the exhibition.