Ruth Murray at The Garden Museum

January 28, 2025

’Byron’s Pond’, a solo exhibition of paintings by Ruth Murray, opens this week at London’s Garden Museum on Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB. Exhibition runs January 29th til April 27th. Open daily 10-5. Admission free.

Murray explores the psychological impact of gardens, and how green spaces affect our lives today.

Living in a concrete yard in a bustling city, she draws inspiration from the small patches of greenery in her area — her neighbour Ingrid’s vibrant collection of potted plants, community planters in shared alleys, and a serene corner by a brook in the nearby park. In Murray’s world, gardens are not merely spaces of growth; they are sanctuaries, rich tapestries of emotion, reflection, and connection. The act of gardening—nurturing plants and cultivating life—mirrors the practices of reverie and introspection, deepening our understanding of how these intimate acts can resonate within our lives.

A major theme of the show is the association between women and bodies of water, pursued here through a study of edgeland spaces, particularly the imagery of a pond. Ponds symbolise both contemplation and freedom, they are darkly fertile places where death and life coexist, and where new life emerges from the traces of the old.