Original Turner works set to be displayed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham as part of a brand-new exhibition
This landmark autumn showcase features rare historical loans alongside an extensive contemporary response by artist Jake Wood-Evans.
Opening on 19 September 2026, In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans brings the largest display of original works by J.M.W. Turner ever shown at The Historic Dockyard Chatham to the historic maritime site. Running through 15 November 2026, the exhibition pairs rare 19th-century loans with an expansive collection of oil paintings by contemporary artist Jake Wood-Evans, creating a powerful visual dialogue rooted in Britain’s maritime heritage.
The exhibition explores and re-contextualises the legacy of Britain’s most celebrated ‘painter of light’ through an exciting creative response by British contemporary artist Jake Wood-Evans. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to view Turner’s Medway Sketchbook and his powerful oil painting, Second Sketch for ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’ – on loan from national collections, including Tate – presented in direct dialogue with Wood-Evans’ large-scale, luminous oil paintings.
Turner held a deep fascination with the Medway, and visited the Dockyard to sketch the birthplace of legendary Royal Navy ships like HMS VICTORY and HMS TEMERAIRE. By housing these original masterpieces within the historic setting that inspired them, the exhibition brings the region’s artistic and maritime history full circle.
Much like Turner’s radical late works that laid the groundwork for Impressionism, Wood-Evans conceives his paintings as ‘prisms of light’. His work intentionally blurs the boundaries between representation and abstraction, playing with a balance of obscurity and detail to translate the raw energy of weather, water, and the passage of time into multi-layered canvases.
Beyond the finished artwork, In Turner’s Wake offers an intimate look behind the scenes of a contemporary artist’s practice. The display will feature Wood-Evans’ personal sketchbooks, artist materials, and studio ephemera, offering unique insight into the day-to-day operations of a contemporary studio.
Jake Wood-Evans said:
“The concept for this show centres around Turner’s relationship to Chatham Dockyard, and in turn, my own relationship to Turner, who has long been an inspiration due to his genius for capturing light and atmosphere. Viewing the loan material directly, and rooting that in the historic relevance of this site, hopefully makes for a rewarding conversation between Turner’s work and mine.
Responding to Turner’s depictions of light has driven me to experiment with the atmospheric qualities of the works. Using paint to depict light is what it’s all about, and manipulating that provides endless possibilities to create altered landscapes that speak very differently to the viewer.”
Nick Ball, Collections, Galleries and Interpretation Manager, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, said:
“At the Historic Dockyard, we’re really excited to have curated this exhibition bringing two important artists together for the first time. With over 400 years of maritime history, the Dockyard has inspired creators for centuries; J.M.W. Turner came here in the 1820s to sketch the ships, and now Jake Wood-Evans follows in his wake with a remarkable new body of work. We can’t wait to welcome visitors this autumn to experience this unique meeting of past and present for themselves.”
In Turner’s Wake: Contemporary Visions by Jake Wood-Evans is included in the standard admission ticket to The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
‘Second Sketch’ for ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’, Joseph Mallord William Turner, c.1823
Ships in a Breeze, Part II, after Turner | 200x155cm | Oil on linen | 2026
