No Life Without Death: A New Exhibition at The Lightbox Museum Woking

Key Takeaways

• Six artists explore mortality through painting, sculpture, photography, and cyanotype.
• Cole-Levi Klimt curates, emphasizing impermanence and emotional transformation.
• Exhibition runs 17‑28 June 2026 at The Lightbox, Woking.
• Works blend scientific observation, folklore, and neo‑surrealist techniques.
• Curator Chelsey Chase aims for thought‑provoking yet accessible presentations.

Pulse Analysis

The Lightbox Museum’s latest show, “No Life Without Death,” arrives at a moment when the art world is increasingly interrogating themes of fragility and transience. Curated by Chelsey Chase, whose background spans music, live events and visual arts, the exhibition is presented by the interdisciplinary platform Cole‑Levi Klimt. By assembling six artists who navigate painting, sculpture, photography, installation and cyanotype, the show offers a layered conversation about mortality that moves beyond traditional memento mori, positioning death as a continuous influence on desire, grief and presence.

Each participating artist brings a distinct material vocabulary to the central theme. Paul Freud’s layered mark‑making blurs figuration and abstraction, evoking memory and psychological vulnerability. Meryl Donoghue’s cyanotype pieces capture the tension between preservation and decay, while Eva Yates merges classical technique with neo‑surrealist commentary on beauty culture. Guest contributors Orly Kritzman, Ana Luiza Rodrigues and Charlotte Worthington extend the dialogue through clay, performance and mixed‑media constructions that reference scientific observation, everyday objects and personal narrative. This diversity of media underscores the exhibition’s claim that mortality permeates all facets of artistic expression.

Beyond its immediate visual impact, “No Life Without Death” signals a broader shift in the UK cultural sector toward exhibitions that are both intellectually rigorous and publicly accessible. By framing death as an integral condition rather than a terminal event, the show invites audiences to confront uncomfortable emotions, potentially expanding museum visitation demographics. Its success could encourage other institutions to commission similarly ambitious, cross‑disciplinary programs, reinforcing the role of contemporary art as a conduit for societal reflection on life’s impermanent nature.