An exhibition "uncannily aligned with the cosmos"

Chichester artist Jane McGregor is promising an exhibition that “feels uncannily aligned with the cosmos.”

Where the Planets Meet the Downs is at Oxmarket Contemporary from October 27 to November 8 and is “more than an art exhibition: it is a celebration of celestial heritage, personal courage, and the rare astronomical events that have defined 2026.

“This year marks the tenth anniversary of the South Downs National Park becoming a designated Dark Skies Reserve, one of the few places in Britain where the night sky still reveals its ancient brilliance.”

Jane’s exhibition pays tribute to this milestone, imagining the planets gathering above the Downs in a luminous parade, echoing the rare parade of the planets’ alignment witnessed in February this year.

“The title reflects this meeting of earth and cosmos, landscape and starlight. The South Downs have always felt magical to me. But knowing they are protected as a Dark Skies Reserve makes that magic official.

“The exhibition also honours Gustav Holst, composer of the iconic orchestral suite The Planets. Holst has a deep connection to Chichester: the Cathedral is his final resting place, making the city an unexpectedly perfect home for an exhibition inspired by his cosmic imagination.”

Jane reflects on Holst’s era with affection. “When Holst wrote The Planets, the whole of the UK was essentially a dark‑skies reserve. Light pollution barely existed. I like to think he would be delighted to know that the South Downs now protects the darkness he once knew.

“2026 has been a year of extraordinary astronomical events and anniversaries: a solar eclipse, a rare parade of the planets, Artemis circling the moon and the 60th anniversary of Star Trek and the Starship Enterprise.”

For Jane, who also celebrates her 60th birthday this year, the timing feels almost scripted by the universe, she says. “I’ve never painted planets before. I’m usually at home with botanicals and portraiture. But this year, everything pointed upward. It felt like the right moment to be brave.”

The exhibition marks Jane’s first time exhibiting publicly in a professional gallery. It is, in her words, “a bucket‑list leap into the unknown.”

“The works, created in acrylic and mixed media, explore colour, symbolism, mythology and the stories planets whisper to anyone willing to listen. My paintings are an abstract interpretation of the planets and each piece reflects both cosmic wonder and personal courage.

“Turning sixty made me realise that creativity is the closest thing humans have to warp drive. It moves us forward. It lets us explore.”