Artist Spotlight: Derek Jarman

“There are no walls or fences. My garden’s boundaries are the horizon” 

Jarman gardening at Prospect Cottage, 1991 © Howard Sooley

In 1986, after receiving an HIV diagnosis at 44, Derek Jarman moved to a fisherman’s cottage on Dungeness Beach in Kent, a desolate landscape framed by the shadow of a nuclear power station.

Jarman’s decision to live openly with his diagnosis was groundbreaking in a time of widespread stigma. His art became a platform for challenging prejudice, censorship, and the lack of resources for those living with AIDS. Through his art, he used historical and cultural references to critique Thatcherite Britain, whilst condemning both the government’s neglect of the AIDS epidemic and the media’s demonization of those affected.

Dungeness, with its extreme weather conditions—drought, gales, and salt-laden winds—seemed an unlikely place for a gardener. Yet Jarman transformed the barren terrain into an unexpected oasis. His garden, without walls or fences, became a living symbol of resilience. It stood as a reminder that even in the most unforgiving conditions, through art and nature hope could take root.

Derek Jarman, Modern Nature, 1994

“The gardener digs in another time, without past or future, beginning or end. A time that does not cleave the day with rush hours, lunch breaks, the last bus home. As you walk in the garden you pass into this time – the moment of entering can never be remembered. Around you the landscape lies transfigured. Here is the Amen beyond the prayer.”