Hidden Explorers

HIDDEN EXPLORERS is a contemporary photographic and print-based installation reflecting on survival, hidden histories, and environmental memory through the legacy of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition 1916. The exhibition began with the discovery of a photograph hidden behind a curtain in a London flat — Frank Hurley’s image of Mount Frank Houlder on Elephant Island, dedicated in pencil by Shackleton to Frank Houlder, whose support helped rescue the stranded Endurance crew in 1916. More than a century later, artist Lukas Kroulik followed Shackleton’s route to Elephant Island, revisiting the landscape where survival, sacrifice, and human resilience unfolded under extreme conditions. Through photography, ice, archival fragments, and translucent fabric installations made from recycled plastic, the exhibition reimagines the iceberg as both physical form and metaphor: a symbol of hidden histories, unseen support systems, and the fragile relationship between humanity and the natural world. Balancing historical reflection with contemporary environmental awareness, the works invite viewers to move through layers of memory, water, and ice — exploring what remains visible, and what lies beneath the surface. Opening times: 8th - 10th December: 12 - 8 pm 11th December: 12 pm - 5 pm