The first UK solo exhibition by the Australian artist Renee Vaughan Sutherland – which will be close to the heart of all Essex women, and men – is being held at a Southend gallery now.

Titled Waterhouse, the show explores the different representations and perceptions of women in Essex through history, with a particular focus on the practices of witches during the 17th Century.

It is on at the Tap gallery in North Road, Westcliff, until June 7.

It’s the first time Renee has had a solo exhibition in a public gallery in the UK. She conceived and developed the idea during her residency at Metal, in Chalkwell Park, and the result is a multi-film installation, incorporating live performance.

Warren Harper, spokesman for Tap gallery, described the exhibition as being “largely concerned with the female body in landscape and context”.

The name Waterhouse is attributed to Agnes Waterhouse, the first female on English record to be tried and executed for being a witch in Hatfield Peverel, about 25 miles from Southend. She was the first of many women accused of being a witch within the Essex area.

The performance part of the exhibition involves the artist using her own body as a screen, to illustrate the violence of witch hunts of the 1600s and also how derivative “Essex girl” jokes project onto the body and regulate behaviour of women from our county.

Renee Vaughan Sutherland will perform live in the space once on each Saturday for the duration of the exhibition.

ý For more details, email info@t-a-p.org.uk