/What's on/In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans
Exhibition
In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans
19 Sep - 15 Nov 2026
Included in ticket
The largest display of original works by J.M.W. Turner ever shown at The Historic Dockyard Chatham will go on view alongside the evocative paintings of Jake Wood-Evans, in a major new exhibition bridging 19th-century mastery with the contemporary art world.
In Turner’s Wake explores and re-contextualises the legacy of Britain’s most celebrated ‘painter of light’ through an exciting creative response by Wood-Evans, whose own contemporary oil paintings are presented in direct dialogue with Turner’s historic influence. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to view Turner’s Medway Sketchbook and his powerful oil painting, Second Sketch for ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’, presented alongside Wood-Evans’ large-scale contemporary canvases.
Bridging Past and Present
Jake Wood-Evans’ work revels in blurring the boundaries between representation and abstraction. Much like Turner’s radical late works, which laid the groundwork for the Impressionist movement, Wood-Evans conceives his paintings as ‘prisms of light.’
In this exhibition, you will see how Turner’s influence is alive today. Wood-Evans’ work plays with balancing obscurity and detail to alter the emotive atmosphere in his paintings, translating the energy of weather, water and the passage of time into luminous layers of paint.
A Connection to the Medway
Turner was fascinated by the Medway. He visited the Dockyard to sketch the very place where the Royal Navy’s legendary ships, including HMS VICTORY and HMS TEMERAIRE (the subject of his most famous work), were built. This exhibition brings that history full circle by presenting original Turner pieces, on loan from Tate, in the historic setting that inspired them.
Behind the Scenes
Beyond the finished canvases, In Turner’s Wake offers a unique glimpse into the creative process. Explore Jake’s personal sketchbooks, artist materials, and ephemera to get a glimpse of how a contemporary studio operates.
The exhibition features original Turner pieces on loan from Tate and Rochester Bridge Trust, supported by loaned works of art from the Courtauld and a section of HMS VICTORY from Royal Navy Museums.
In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans is included in your Dockyard admission ticket.
In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans
Exhibition
Highlights
A small selection of pieces on display during “In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans”.
J.M.W Turner
Rochester Castle
Rochester Bridge Trust
Jake Wood-Evans
Broken Seascape Study, after Turner
J.M.W Turner
At Chatham, on the River Medway – Part of the Medway Sketchbook
Tate: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Marcantonio Raimondi
Detail of the ‘Quos Ego’
Engraving after Raphael
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Jake Wood-Evans
Neptune and Amphitrite, after Rubens
Albert Henry Payne
Neptune Calming the Seas
Engraving after Peter Paul Rubens
Private Collection
J. M. W. Turner
Second Sketch for ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’
Tate: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
In Turner’s Wake: Audio Commentary
Welcome to the audio commentary for In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans. Join curators, experts, and artist Jake Wood-Evans as they explore J. M. W. Turner’s enduring legacy, the historic Medway connections, and the creative journey behind bringing this landmark exhibition to life.
Welcome and Introduction
Nick Ball, Curator of In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans, introduces the exhibition.
Turner’s Landscape Legacy
Curator of Historic British Art at Tate, Nicola Moorby, talks about Turner and the influence he had on landscape art.
The Medway Sketchbook
Nick talks about Turner’s maritime world and the importance of the Medway Sketchbook on loan for the exhibition from Tate.
Shaping the Art World
Nicola talks about Turner’s background and the impact he had on the art world of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Deep Historic Connections
Nick talks about how the exhibition came about and how it is deeply connected to the Historic Dockyard.
Exhibiting Alongside Turner
Artist Jake Wood-Evans talks about painting work for the exhibition and what it feels like to be exhibited alongside J. M. W. Turner.
Battle of Trafalgar Sketch
Nicola talks about Turner’s Second Sketch for the Battle of Trafalgar.
Celebrating the Ships
Nick talks about his favourite part of the exhibition – the ships!
Inspired by Old Masters
Jake talks about his background studying at the Prado in Madrid, learning from the work of the Old Masters, and how this influenced his work.
Shaping the Visitor Experience
Paul Wright, Interpretation Officer at The Historic Dockyard, talks about working on the exhibition.
Master of Watercolours
Nicola talks about Turner’s influential watercolours.
Exhibition Highlights and Favourites
Anisa Rasheed, Operations Support Officer at the Historic Dockyard, talks about working on the exhibition and her favourites parts of the show.
The Contemporary Process
Jake talks about his artistic process.
JAKE WOOD-EVANS
In an age dominated by screens and pixelated image, British contemporary artist Jake Wood-Evans’ work feels like a welcome antidote. Drawing on the legacies of Old Masters, his intention is to capture the essence of these historic works without replicating them, depicting familiar, yet obscured subject matter.
Creating ethereal images that are both unsettling and beautiful, Wood-Evans’ powerful use of light emerges from a loose and instinctive application of paint. His oil paintings shimmer with luminous and intense layers of colour as bold marks, dripping oils and scored surfaces sit in company with fine, delicate detail.
Describing his work as “a process of conflict with the ambiguous space between representation and abstraction”, Wood-Evans resists the urge to provide easy readings or instantly accessible compositions. He invites the viewer to pause and quietly contemplate a series of multi-layered paintings that denote a common visual language built through our shared history and consumption of art imagery.
Wood-Evans’ work has been exhibited at galleries in London and across the UK, as well as international art fairs. He has worked with museums including Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, The Holburne, Bath, Hampshire Cultural Trust and the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, France. Wood-Evans’ work can be found in private collections internationally, including collections in New York, Malaysia, London, Antwerp and Miami. He holds a BA Hons in Fine Art from Falmouth University, and was subsequently awarded a scholarship from the Royal Academy for classical study at the Prado museum in Madrid. The artist currently lives and works near Lewes, East Sussex.
