Polly Townsend's (b. 1977) paintings are inspired by journeys through many of the most remote and hostile landscapes in the world. In 2024, Townsend was Artist in Residence in Antarctica, spending five weeks travelling with the Royal Navy. Other residencies have included Death Valley and The Badlands National Parks in the USA, and solo expeditions including Kashmir, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tibet, Alaska, Iceland, Bolivia and across regions of Europe/North America.
Townsend is drawn to the paradoxes of these extreme environments. The landscapes she inhabits are vast, unyielding and seemingly hostile to life, yet volatile, vital and often the most life-sustaining ecosystems on earth.