South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell

Invisible by Basia Gorska

The first exhibition I visited was ‘Invisible’ by the artist in residence Basia Gorska. Gorska is a London based artist, who was born in 1986 and grew up in Germany, although she studied and worked in Krakow, Poland, which was also where she completed her Master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts. She has many of her works displayed in Poland and all around the world.

The exhibition displayed at South Hill Park is in response to the Access All Areas community project. The message this exhibition is conveying is to develop an understanding of invisible disabilities and inclusion. She made these paintings using her classic printmaking technique but has used fluorescent inks and pigments. These inks require UV light to shine on them so that they can glow. I think the use of fluorescent pigments is interesting, as it acts as a metaphor for ‘hidden’ or ‘not visible’ disabilities.

I found this exhibition interesting, as it has a very important message behind it, and also was interactive. It was interesting how each painting could shine brighter, depending on how long you held the UV torch up to it. I also think the message behind the painting is important as well, as there are many people with diseases that are on the inside, and we don’t always know that they are there, and what that person might be going through.

‘Returning with a new approach’ by Jan Gaska

The second exhibition I visited was ‘Returning with a new approach’ by a previous artist in residence, Jan Gaska. Gaska was an artist in residence at South Hill Park between 2004-2006. He had originally started in printmaking, especially through his undergraduate and postgraduate years. In 2010, Gaska started to find interest in oil paint, but in 2012, disaster struck when his studio burned down. Without a studio, he decided to start painting landscapes out in the open and since has tried other types of art, such as observational painting and portraiture.

This exhibition was my favourite out of the ones that I saw. I find that it is amazing for someone who has lost his studio to bounce back and to still produce amazing art. I have tried outdoor landscape painting and found it very difficult. I really enjoyed looking up close at the painting in the exhibition, as I could see all the brush marks and textures in the paint, which I love about this paintings. This exhibition was held in the café at South Hill, so it was nice to have a hot drink while enjoying these amazing oil landscapes.

Postcard, Artists in Action

The third exhibition I visited was ‘Postcard’. This was a bit different to the other two exhibitions, as each postcard was anonymous, and you only find out who the artist was when you bought the postcard. There were several postcards, and I love that no two were the same. Some artists used pen, some paint, some pencil and even printmaking. I love that each postcard was made by a unique individual, who has their own story. One of my favourite postcards was a landscape of a sunset over the sea, which was painted onto a canvas board, unlike the others that were on paper. This meant that you could see the texture of the canvas come through.

South Hill Park Arts Centre