Oxford Gardens V 1977

Editor: Here we have Ivor Abrahams' "Oxford Gardens V," from the Tate Collections. The print creates an interesting mood with its shadowy path. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: I see a commentary on public space and its representation. Abrahams presents a manicured, almost artificial, nature. How does this idealized version of "Oxford Gardens" contrast with the reality of urban green spaces in the 1970s? Editor: So, it's less about the actual Oxford Gardens and more about what they represent, this idealized, perhaps unattainable space? Curator: Precisely. It invites us to consider the politics embedded in landscape imagery. Perhaps to question who controls and shapes our perception of nature in urban environments.