Onya McCausland's 'Tailings' Exhibition Transforms Mining Waste into Pigments at CLOSE Gallery

British artist Onya McCausland presents 'Tailings,' a solo exhibition at CLOSE Gallery in Hatch Beauchamp, Taunton, from April 25 to May 30, 2026. The show features 30 works that reconfigure industrial mining by-products into bespoke pigments for paintings. McCausland's practice investigates environmental legacies through materially driven approaches, with each piece titled by geographic coordinates of former mining sites. Her collaborations include partnerships with the UK Coal Authority and paint manufacturer Michael Harding, resulting in sustainable pigments and architectural applications like a wood stain used at Six Bells miners' hospital in South Wales. The exhibition blends geological and human timescales, referencing prehistoric ochre use while addressing contemporary ecological concerns through restrained palettes of ochres, rusts, and smoky tones.