Contemporary Painting & Art in Mind | 17th – 30th June
17th – 30th June
Preview – Wednesday 18th June 6 – 8.30pm
Our Contemporary Painting & Art in Mind Exhibition brings together a collection of works that explore the emotional, symbolic, and sensory dimensions of contemporary life. From cinematic reinterpretations and photorealistic street scenes to abstract reflections on memory, movement, nature, and inner states, this exhibition showcases the many ways artists use painting to question, interpret, and reimagine the world around and within us. Bold, personable and richly layered, the works on display invite viewers to engage with both the visible and the intangible.
Open:
10am – 6pm Monday to Saturday
12 – 6pm Sunday
POPPY ROSE
@poppyrosemdonald
poppyrosestore.com
Poppy Rose is a contemporary artist based in Manchester, originally from Lancashire. Diagnosed with autism and later bipolar disorder, she has been passionate about painting since the age of four. Through her chosen medium of oil paint, Poppy invites viewers to experience the world through her eyes.
Using a saturated palette dominated by hot pinks, electric reds, and luminous highlights, Poppy turns everyday luxuries – cocktails, billiard balls, olives, bar scenes – into icons of mood, memory, and setting, recalling neon-lit lounges, and intimate late-night conversations. Each piece feels like a rich indulgence of colour, their compositions tightly controlled yet emotionally charged, inviting viewers into a world that’s both familiar and dreamlike, playful and energetic. Every glass rim, reflection, and manicured nail is deliberate – an ode to the art of presentation and the quiet drama of curated moments.
AURÉLIE BAUER
@baueraurelie_
Aurélie Bauer’s work explores the shared language of painting and cinema, focusing on themes like light, framing, and symbolic imagery. By translating scenes from films by Hitchcock, Almodóvar, and Sirk into a series of canvases, she invites viewers to experience the emotional atmosphere of film in a timeless, physical form, blurring the boundaries between moving image and painted surface.
VKM
@vkm_street
vkm.au
VKM is an Australian artist whose photography work extends into the intricate realm of monotone stencil art. Known for her finely detailed skater stencils and street scenes, she has carved a distinct voice in the street art community, featuring on walls in Australia, India, Paris, Glasgow and London. From her studio she creates works on canvas, metal, cardboard and repurposed signage and exhibits in art prizes, solo and group shows.
‘My art is born of moments captured through my lens. Forever enchanted by monotone street photography. My artistic practice thrives at the intersection of studio work and public art, both sharing a distinct hallmark of photorealism infused with a sense of fluidity and motion. I employ a diverse palette of mediums including aerosol, Japanese inks, acrylic and mixed media.
RAFIA RASHEED
@art.rafia
rafia.art
Rafia Rasheed is a German artist whose semi-abstract work is inspired by nature and shaped by imagination, intuition, and emotion. She blends what she sees with how she experiences it, creating expressive pieces that reflect a deep connection to the natural world.
DYLAN COADY
@dylcoady
dylancoady.com
Dylan Coady is a Canadian artist whose work blends abstraction with representational realism. Coady’s practice is a meld of material exploration and narrative symbolism. His work navigates between the emotional immediacy of abstract expression and the narrative clarity of figurative art. Coady explores the hyperconnectivity of the digital age and how tools like the internet affect our relationships with others as well as ourselves. Other thematic explorations include love and the human connection, war and conflict, the duplicitous nature of nostalgia, as well as the intersection of abundance and scarcity in modern society.
CAROLA HELWING
@caro.art4
carolahelwing.de
A Word From The Artist:
‘My name is Carola, I am an artist from Frankfurt, Germany. With my background of art and dance education I focus on dance and movement as a main theme in my artwork. It’s my intention to make the power, strength and beauty, the emotions and accuracy visible for the audience. Beneath dance and movement I also focus on icon-portraits. It’s the unique power of these outstanding persons that I transfer to the viewer in my own kind of perspective and presentation.’
LU MAC
@lu.mac.arts
lu-mac-arts.square.site
Lucy Masterson (Lu Mac) creates reflective, emotionally layered work rooted in memory, place, and personal experience. Her ‘Glasgow Reflections’ series captures fleeting urban moments and the tension between past and present, while ‘Back to Basics’ explores her deep reverence for nature, especially trees, as enduring symbols of life. Through both, she uses painting to make sense of the world and invite connection through shared yet individual interpretations.
MAŁGORZATA CZERNIAWSKA
czerniawska.eu
Małgorzata Czerniawska is a Polish artist whose work explores the interplay between light and darkness as a means of mapping inner emotional and psychological states. Rooted in a deep academic and artistic foundation, her ‘Clearances’ series reflects a nuanced, metaphysical approach to painting – treating it not just as a visual medium, but as a way of experiencing and recording the world from within. For her, art is a living process that transcends surface, engaging both the mental and spiritual realms.
SKIPPY COTTON
@skippy.cotton
skippycotton.com
Emma Mierop is a self-taught artist based in northern New Jersey, just outside New York City. In 2017, she founded Skippy Cotton as a way to merge her background in illustration with a deep love for textiles, storytelling, and handmade heirlooms. The brand has since grown into a thoughtful collection of soft goods, art objects, and accessories – often created in collaboration with artisan partners in India and crafted from vintage or recycled materials. Emma’s explorative art practice weaves together themes of nostalgia, emotional resilience, and the unseen interior world, reflecting a lifelong commitment to mental health advocacy and awareness. Her work invites reflection, wonder, and a deeper connection to the beauty in our imperfections.
The Brick Lane Gallery
216 Brick Lane | E1 6SA
Phone: +44 (0) 207 729 9721
Instagram: @bricklanegallery
