Press Release
MENIERGALLERY
51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU September 2017
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Wendy Brooke-Smith
New Ground: Discoveries in Landscape
Exploration is the central theme of Wendy Brooke-Smith’s third major solo exhibition of
paintings and drawings, entitled New Ground: Discoveries in Landscape, which runs from
Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25th November 2017 at The Menier Gallery, 51 Southwark St,
London SE1 1RU.
Blavatnik Panorama, (Tate Modern)2017, acrylic on canvas, 76 x 203cm (diptych)
Against the current backdrop of political upheaval and uncertainty, the artist finds parallels
and connections in the subject matter she has encountered in the past 18 months, from
distant mountains to new London landmarks.
All the paintings and drawings explore new territory for the artist, whether from personal
travels and walking, or a newly accessible view of her favourite subject, the Thames. As
well as her trademark urban landscapes, this wide-ranging exhibition includes paintings of
France, New Zealand, Scotland, Cornwall and the ancient route of the Ridgeway.
Looking Back to Queenstown, 2016,
oil on canvas, 91 x 71cm
Sky Garden View East, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 122cm
For press enquiries about the event, comment, text or jpeg images, please contact:
Wendy Brooke-Smith (wendy.brookesmith@gmail.com)
Tel: 07740 799869
The London paintings bear witness to the chaotic metamorphosis of the city’s jostling
skyline. Yet the ‘iconic’ new arrivals in their turn provide dramatic vantage points from
which to reassess our previously familiar surroundings, opening a dialogue of reciprocal
panoramas across the Thames.
In contrast to this urban transience, Brooke-Smith’s striking mountainscapes and earthy
Ridgeway works remind us of the essential permanence and continuity of the landscape
beneath our feet: a reassuring counterbalance to our shrill and shifting times.
Ridgeway: Look How Far We've Come, 2017,
acrylic on canvas, 76 x 91cm
Walking the Chalk, Downhill Stretch, 2017,
acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90cm
Wendy Brooke-Smith summarises this philosophy: “All landscape can be seen as a
metaphor for our ideas and emotions. As an artist - and an optimist - I recognise the
importance of innovation and renewal, while daring to hope that the most important
things in life will stand their ground.”
A spirit of discovery has also influenced the artist’s increasingly bold colour palette and
looser (mostly acrylic) painting. Charcoal drawings continue to be integral to her process,
both as initial observations and as more developed ideas for paintings in the studio.
Wendy Brooke-Smith graduated from UCS in 2008 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. She
has since exhibited widely and her work is held in private and corporate collections
throughout the UK, including Rolls Building Art & Education Trust, Hill Dickinson LLP, UCS
and Associated British Ports.
NOTES TO EDITORS
EXHIBITION DATES: Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 November 2017
LOCATION: Menier Gallery, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU
PUBLIC OPENING HOURS: Tues 21, Wed 22 and Thurs 23 November 11am - 6pm
Friday 24 November 11am - 8.30pm (SLAM Friday)
Saturday 25 November 11am - 4.30pm