A flurry of pastel-coloured strokes forms pillowy clouds, while bold blue hues are dragged down the canvas in swirling formations, evoking the rich layers of the ocean. These are among new works by Leila Bartell, whose solo exhibition ‘Memory Fields’ is on at Tristan Hoare Gallery until 25 July 2025.
Leila Bartell presents 'Memory Fields'
For the London-based painter and film director, ‘Memory Fields’ marks a new evolution in her practice. Bartell’s work usually draws upon nature, memory and the human psyche. However, this new painted series is rooted in landscapes viewed through a contemporary lens.
Bartell’s abstraction allows viewers to ponder their own perception of a ‘modern-day’ sky. The soft colours offer a moment of meditation and create a sense of calmness around the gallery, as if the viewer is cushioned in a sea of clouds. The sky is a key theme in the exhibition. Bartell draws upon constantly moving cloudscapes, their unpredictability and transience. The paintings challenge our perception of how nature adapts amid an ever-changing environment.
However, the series is not all cotton candy colours. Bartell’s work is inspired by the notable sky paintings by 18th-century artist John Constable, who captured visions of very sunny English landscapes. Bartell ran with his idealised interpretation and spun it with a contemporary touch.
Her take disrupts Constable’s dreamy romanticism, introducing bold dashes of acidic yellow and synthetic green that add atmospheric distortion. These unexpected colours hint at current concerns for the climate and environment.
Bartell’s work is much more than a Constable-inspired refresh. Her work explores what it means to look at the sky today in an environment rich in digital technology and where human connection to nature is so disjointed.
Leila Bartell's 'Memory Fields' at Tristan Hoare Gallery runs until 25 July 2025, tristanhoaregallery.co.uk
-
Martha Stewart stuns in a new campaign as Kohler’s first-ever Cast Iron Ambassador‘I have been a proponent of enamelled cast iron for decades, all throughout the home,’ she said.
-
Multidisciplinary artist Ronan Mckenzie on a new chapter for her fashion label Selasi: ‘It feels reborn’As a pop-up in London’s Tender Books – featuring a curation of clothing, books and flowers – marks a new chapter for her 2020-founded label Selasi, multidisciplinary artist, designer and photographer Ronan Mckenzie talks creative rebirth and community
-
Genesis adds electrification to the G80 and favours long-limbed, chauffeur-loving ownersThe Electrified G80 is Genesis’s flagship model, a refined EV saloon that brings Bentley-level refinement without costing the earth
-
Get the picture? A new exhibition explores the beautiful simplicity of Japanese pictogramsThe simple, minimalist forms of a pictogram are uniquely Japanese, as new exhibition 'Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs' illustrates
-
From Snapchat dysmorphia to looksmaxing, have digital beauty standards made us lose sight of what's real, asks a new exhibitionAI, social media and the ease with which we can tweak our face mean we're heading towards a dystopian beauty future, argues 'Virtual Beauty' at Somerset House
-
Take a rare peek inside eighties London's most famous clubFrom George Michael to Boy George, photographer David Koppel captured a who's who of celerities at Eighties nightclub Limelight
-
Rolf Sachs’ largest exhibition to date, ‘Be-rühren’, is a playful study of touchA collection of over 150 of Rolf Sachs’ works speaks to his preoccupation with transforming everyday objects to create art that is sensory – both emotionally and physically
-
Shop the gloriously mad inner workings of Gary Card’s brain in London’s SohoSet designer and artist Gary Card has taken over London's Plaster Store – expect chaos and some really good accessories
-
Meet the New York-based artists destabilising the boundaries of societyA new show in London presents seven young New York-based artists who are pushing against the borders between refined aesthetics and primal materiality
-
After decades capturing the world’s fashion-set, photographer Johnny Rozsa picks up a paint brushIn his first exhibition of paintings, the New York-based artist celebrates the vibrancy of Tangier while rediscovering a familiar creative outlet
-
Emerging artist Kasia Wozniak’s traditional photography techniques make for ethereal imagesWozniak’s photographs, taken with a 19th-century Gandolfi camera, are currently on show at Incubator, London
