We welcome you to the Portrait Exhibition
Preview Night 25th September 6-8.30pm 

This exhibition celebrates the power of expression captured through diverse styles and mediums, where the timeless art of portraiture meets bold, contemporary vision.

Naïs

Naïs is a Belgian artist known for her vibrant and captivating canvases. Her recent exhibitions include Naked in Norwich, organised by the Norwich 20 Group, and Synaesthesia, curated by El Fin De La Siesta.
A Word From The Artist:
‘My art comes from the union of extremes in my life.
I create because it cannot be helped.
I create because I remove bonds.
I create because I need to break what has been and what is.
For the vastness of detail;
For the power of absence.
For the sensual pleasure of a shape or a colour.
I create for those who can’t hear themselves scream no more.’

Syul Hezri

Hezri paints stories through his experiences, especially from his extensive travelling and exposure to different cultures around the world.
With multiple easter eggs in every painting, Hezri’s storytelling portrays alternative perspectives to how people see things, in arts and also in life. The Sarawakian-born artist is now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Anthony Ugbo

Anthony Ugbo, a Nigerian artist, is a graduate of Information Management Technology from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). He is a hyperrealism portrait artist who has exhibited his work in galleries and exhibitions in Tel Aviv and London, receiving critical acclaim for his attention to detail and emotional depth. With a passion for capturing the essence of his subjects, Anthony’s portraits explore themes of identity, memory, and human emotions, inviting viewers to connect with the stories of his subjects on a deep and personal level.

Steven Conner

After graduating with a HND Graphic Design from Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design in 1992, Steven Conner has spent his career working in digital advertising for the music industry. He has always had a keen interest in music and fashion, taking inspiration from the defining British cultural movements if the 80s and 90s, as well as having a passion for photography and a particular interest in the portrayal of the human form through his medium. In recent years, Steven has tapped back into his talent and passion for the creative arts, and dug further into these interests that have been an enduring inspiration for him during his professional work. A strong body of work has been born out of those explorations.
Using fashion photography as a starting point, and with the blessing of the photographers whose work provides the source material, Steven manipulates pictures from international artists of figures in editorial poses, using a series of collage techniques, cutting and mutilating the images and painting brushstrokes onto them.
The resulting collage of cut prints and textured paper augmented with paint deconstructs and reinterprets these images using a mixture of digital and analogue techniques. This abstract work is the product of a collaborative process on two levels; Steven and the photographer, and the classic painterly techniques intersecting with contemporary digital processes. The emanating monochrome, abstracted forms provoke a feeling of unease, distorting the beauty of original picture, inviting the viewer to question the validity of the medium of photography and to reevaluate their perceptions of the human form.

Andy Fung

Fung is a self-taught London-based artist. He was born in Hong Kong and enjoyed a lengthy career in Interior Design. He underwent arts training at Hong Kong Art Institutes from 2015-17, and in 2018, he realised that his dream was to be an artist.
Fung uses various mediums within his portrait, figurative and urban paintings. His artworks are mostly influenced by his experiences of 80’s and 90’s Pop Art, Japanese comics as well as contemporary artists. He immigrated to London in 2022, where he is undergoing his creative career.

James Gemmill

James Gemmill is a citizen of the US and of the UK, living and working in England. He received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the university of Utah; from this, he proceeded to Boston university where he gained a Master’s degree in Fine Art. Gemmill was then awarded the Fulbright Hayes Scholarship, which enabled him to come to London to take a further Master’s in Fine Art at the Royal College of Art.
A Word from The Artist:
Translating an image or a thought into a painting never stops being exciting but also difficult. Once a painting is “finished”, I make a judgement as to whether it is worthy of saving – or not. This is why most of my work has layers of multiple paintings beneath the final image. I enjoy painting over my own work and the “final” image is created because of, and on top of, the previous paintings. The size and composition of each painting starts with a large piece of canvas or wood and the image establishes the parameters on that. I can’t be confined by a predetermined stretched canvas or panel; I only know when it is finished because the next mark I make wrecks the painting.

Claire McCall

A bold approach to painting makes Claire’s work truly distinctive. She combines abstract or impressionist backgrounds, applied with a palette knife, with realistic subjects rendered in textured brushstrokes.
A Word From The Artist:
‘I believe the intelligence of a painting is in the lost and found edges. The interest lies within the range of values and textures, the drama of abstraction vs realism… and the magic is in the movement created by a confident stroke of the brush or palette knife.’

Wendy Cohen

Wendy’s artwork is a journey into bold abstraction, where colours, shapes, and textures collide to create these incredible visual stories. Her pieces are known for their expressive energy, drawing inspiration from the world around her.
Wendy’s distinctive use of mixed media challenges conventional boundaries, encouraging viewers to see beyond the surface. Her work brings a fresh perspective, offering a unique blend of spontaneity and thoughtful intention.
Each piece stands as a reflection of her creative spirit, making her art a memorable and engaging experience for all.

The Brick Lane Gallery
216 Brick Lane | E1 6SA

Phone: +44 (0) 207 729 9721

Instagram: @bricklanegallery