ZEST Collective presents ‘Sting’, their ninth exhibition and first collaboration with Auger Collective. Taking place at the Sovereign Centre in Boscombe, this group show brings together 18 artists in an exploration of resilience and creative survival. 

‘Sting’ emerges from a shared experience. For many artists, sustaining a creative practice means navigating continual setbacks, from unanswered applications and loss of funding to the erosion of accessible creative spaces. 

The exhibition’s title refers both to this emotional impact and to a more literal definition: auger sea snails, which immobilise their prey with a venomous sting. What happens after the sting? Do we retreat, or do we respond?

‘Sting’ holds this question open, inviting personal, political, and provocative responses. Some works confront these systemic barriers directly, and others reflect more subtly on defiance and transformation. 

Both ZEST and Auger Collective are grassroots initiatives, committed to creating inclusive art spaces and strengthening connections between artists and their communities. They actively advocate for more sustainable and accessible creative futures. 

The exhibition offers a collective response: if the sting is inevitable, ‘Sting’ asks what it means to answer back.

Featuring:

Ellen Gillett, Net Ember, Jenny Andrews, lucie smith, Alice Louisa, Poppy Ash, Rabia Raja, Kane Applegate, Anna Marris, Robin Price, Bryn Lloyd, Sharlott Wardner, Sophie Rawlingson, Elyzia Pyrite, Kristína Marošiová, Gre, Agáta Zimová, James Hewins

Poster design by James Hewins, featuring an image of a European hornet captured on an electron microscope during a collaboration with the Biomedical Imaging Unit in Southampton

Photography by Ellen Gillett