Sheffield artists create their own imagined cities during lockdown

Julian Wright Peter Smith and Kieran Flynn are all members of Kelham Island Arts Collective and their exhibition at Gage Street Gallery, Ball Street, Neepsend is called Reimagined Places.

The group say: “The pandemic has been an incredibly trying time for everyone. The resulting lockdown has given us both the opportunity and the inspiration to get working on this new exhibition.

“The show’s title comes from the fact that as lockdown has kept us all isolated, we have combated the claustrophobia by reimagining the world we have been cut off from.

“We all have very different painting styles and methods of working but one thing we have in common is that painting has been a major part of our coping with the current situation and has been hugely beneficial to our collective mental health.”

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Julian paints brightly-coloured landscapes on to recycled materials, from old mirrors to ceiling tiles. Some of his subjects may be familiar, others are abstract or entirely invented.

Peter works on both found materials and canvas. His dark and moody cityscapes peopled by spectral figures give his work an other-worldly feel.

Kieran works on canvas with a combination of acrylic, spray paint and stencils to build his imagined cityscapes.

Reimagined Places is open from May 29 to June 6. Gallery opening times are 11-7pm on weekdays and 10-4pm at weekends. Social distancing rules apply.

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