Urban Ma

Urban Ma brings together three artists: printmaker and photographer Jill Ciemitis, photographer Jodie Holwill, and watercolour artist Sue Hibbert in a collaborative exploration of the urban environment and its many dimensions.

The title refers to Ma, the Japanese word for the spaces in between, a word that does not have an equivalent in English.  

Author Derrick de Kerckhove describes 'Ma as the complex network of relationships between people, space and objects'. We hope our work reflects that complex network. 

Through distinct yet complementary practices, the artists investigate how contemporary cityscapes are experienced, remembered, and reimagined.

Jill’s layered prints and photographic compositions examine texture, repetition, and the material presence of the built environment.

Jodie’s photographic works capture fleeting moments within public and private urban spaces, revealing subtle narratives and human connections often overlooked.

Sue’s watercolours offer a more fluid and interpretive perspective, translating structural form into gesture, colour, and atmosphere.

Together, their works create a multifaceted study of the modern metropolis - its rhythms, tensions, and quiet intervals - inviting viewers to reflect on their own relationships to place and belonging within the urban landscape.