Contemporary Painting

The Brick Lane Gallery is proud to present our fourth Contemporary Painting exhibition for 2014, featuring a wonderful range of artistic talent from around the globe, with international artists from Israel, Italy, Greece, France, America, as well as home-grown exhibitors from Hampshire and London. We are delighted to show a wide variety of genres and styles, from the moving oscillating landscapes of Ana Karandinou (from Greece), to the glowing abstract colours and geometric shapes of Marina Berra (from Italy), along with the brightly coloured pagan gods of Rob Green (from the UK) and the contemplative romantic landscapes of Sivan Rotem (from Israel).

The Contemporary Painting exhibition offers a celebration of the medium, showing the different qualities, textures and emotions which can be evoked through the manipulation of paint. From stillness to movement and abstract to portraits and landscapes, the wide ranging subject matter and mix of muted to bright colour palettes offers something to satisfy every taste. We hope you enjoy the exhibition.

Featured artists:

Amy Pugh (from America) has had a passion for art and animals since a very early age. Her collected works eventually allowed her to form her business, Salvador Kitti. Images of her paintings are printed on various products and through these products attention is brought to endangered wildlife and environmental issues. She gives part of all the proceeds from her business to wildlife conservation organizations as well as numerous benefits for zoos, aquariums, and animal shelters. Her works represent the symbiotic nature of all creatures with their environment, and the delicate nature of this bond. Of the works on display each has their own story and inner meaning; A Watchful Queen: The empress observes her domain, concern on her face. Outside forces threaten her natural world as she takes on the hues of her environment, blending in yet prepared to fight for her family. The Pilgrim: The Loggerhead Turtle journeys throughout the Earth, returning thousands of miles to care for their children. They are as tough as bedrock yet as fragile as coral. With their aquatic world at risk, they continue to travel, the great ancient survivors. Tree Hugger: The God of the Night clings to what is left of its surroundings. The Jaguar patiently waits in the trees, to provide for its family whilst hiding from poachers. Their rosettes are the stars of the jungle's night-sky.

Anastasia Karandinou (from Greece) is an architect and artist. She studied architecture in Athens, Eindhoven and Edinburgh and has worked with architectural practices and as a free-lance architect. Her project ‘Athens by Sound’ – an interactive installation – after successful competition entry, represented Greece in the Venice Biennale of 2008. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture of the University of Portsmouth. She is teaching architectural design and is leading interdisciplinary research projects exploring different methods for mapping urban environments. She has always loved and hated painting and galleries. Why ‘hated’? Because painting always worked with patrons (of various sorts – including galleries). Music, films, street art could have an immediate impact and response from people – whereas painting has always been tied within a fairly exclusive process of production, commission, sale. When asked then why doesn’t she go and play music? She says good question. Maybe I should graffiti. Why do you ‘love’ painting? Well, you know… otherwise you wouldn't be here. Hence her work as a painter comes with a constant hesitation, doubt and questioning.

Camille Lesourd (from France, based in London) was born in Paris. She has completed a Foundation Year with Chelsea College of Art & Design, with Winchester School of Art her BA Fine Art (Painting). She has taken part in a Collective exhibition at Oxo Tower Warf Bargehouse as well as completing a course in Painting at London School of Painting and Drawing. She has also exhibited with Handmade Biophilia, Collective exhibition, Hundred Years Gallery. As a painter, she has a natural instinct for colour and loves working on contrast and transparency. For this exhibition her work is focused on waves. What fascinates her is the power of waves.

Maria Alejandro Bavio (from London) Maria’s paintings have an expressive style and palette. Her uncompromising determination and sympathetic approach to her subjects makes her a fascinating artist. She loves capturing moments of beauty before they go. Moments which are beautiful to her, wherever they may be, wherever she may find them. In her new series of work it’s all about capturing those moments –those beautiful moments –where colour dances with light. It is not about beauty itself, but the interaction of colours with light which she finds beautiful. Her ambition to explore colour and create art that her viewer could live alongside, pushes her work in unexpected directions.

Marina Berra (from Italy) was born in Milan. Always a lover of art, she began painting some years ago, followed by private teachers, experimenting first with a type of figurative painting. She soon understands, however, that this mode of expression is not suitable for her. It does not allow, in fact, to bring out her inner self. It does not let her to feel free. Then she begins to experiment with new ways of expression more and more similar to her. Her works are born from an introspective process that leads her to express moods and personal emotions. The bright and vibrant colours, present in her paintings, concretely express her love for life and the energy that she feels to pervade the entire Universe. These colourful works, which represent personal, but universally shared feelings, lead the viewer to interpret her form of expression basing on their own personal inner experience.

Olivier Jeannin (from France) The art of Olivier Jeannin, so called « La peinture du daron », is fully spontaneous. Every piece of work starts with a white canvas, colours and brushes, as any artist, but Olivier lets his inspiration guide him, where it wants to go. Some patterns happen to show up often, like hands holding a ball, or eyes staring at you. Dreams take a large part in inspiring Olivier, and they are often the starter for a new work. Olivier is a self-educated painter. He likes to say : Painting is for me like splashing the canvas with my guts. The educational background of Olivier is very conventional. He is French, was born in 1960, and he grew up in France. He studied medicine and he still works as a medical doctor. He lives in Normandy, is married, and he is « le daron » of two boys.

Rob Green (from Hampshire) The four oil on canvas-board paintings on display make up the traditional subject often entitled 'The Seasons'. They utilise Byzantine icons as a departure point; with geometry used to reflect religious order and un-modulated colour to represent ideas of purity. Each painting uses both relevant symbols and colour to evoke the individual season it portrays. Icons form a large proportion of Green's original and printed work.

Sivan Rotem (from Israel) is a Soprano and Painter. Sivan Rotem was born in Buenos Aires and raised up on a Kibbutz in Israel. She started her artistic education as a violinist and played the instrument for twelve years, becoming the concert master of the Kibbutz Youth Symphony orchestra. She also studied classical and modern Ballet. Sivan graduated the Haifa University in Israel in English and Literature and the Tel Aviv Music Academy in singing. She studied painting with Ruth Norman and Doron Dahan. Her first solo exhibition was in February 2014 at "Beit Gabriel", near the Sea of Galilee, in the north of Israel. She exhibited her second solo exhibition at the "Netanya Civic center" in Netanya, Israel. She is due to exhibit her next solo exhibition in the "Jerusalem Sinemathek" in June 2014. All her exhibitions are opened with her solo recitals. Her exhibition - "Reflections", is devoted to the beautiful views of Israel and of the places around the world where her singing career took her. This includes the Far East, North and South America as well as Australia and South Africa. Her vivid personality is reflected in her colorful paintings, which draw wonderful critics from visitors around the world.