The new exhibition at Transition Gallery brings together 5 artists to explore the idea of The Dark Wood

“Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straight forward pathway had been lost,” wrote Dante in the first Canto of his Inferno.

It is this phrase that inspired Henry Hussey to curate new exhibition The Dark Wood, drawing on the sense of exile and loss to bring together a group of artists who have all inhabited this space in their work.

The exhibition’s five artists – Amelia Barratt, Sara Berman, Laura Davis, Johnny Höglund and Dean Melbourne – are confronting fears, both creative and personal, offering work that warps and protects simultaneously.

Johnny Höglund’s work is informed by a period of illness, his constrained human forms are like barriers to the viewer.

Amelia Barratt explores everyday preoccupations in acute detail. She navigates her existence through raw sketches and projections of inner turmoil.

Sara Berman’s works depict the body in a domestic setting with obscured faces, creating an uneasy feeling. Previously a fashion designer with her own successful label, she made the transition into fine art.

The Dark Wood is on display at Transition Gallery, an independent gallery opened by artist Cathy Lomax in 2012.

Opens January 14 and runs until February 4.

Transition Gallery, Unit 25a Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Road, E8 4QN. Open Friday and Saturday, transitiongallery.co.uk