Ikon presents the first major solo exhibition by Midlands-based artist Betsy Bradley, Chasing Rainbows, running 3 December 2021 — 13 February 2022.
A significant achievement for the artist before she turns 30, Bradley colours Ikon’s upper galleries with her gestural paintings which evolve into large-scale sculptural, and suspended, forms recalling functional and playground objects.
The show explores Bradley’s approach to painting as a life force that traces “the dance between thought and action”.At Ikon, Bradley presents recent paintings made of voile and organza: translucent fabrics which dissolve the distinction between image and environment, inviting the play of light.
Flashes of neon acrylic dart across the works, glowing with intensity.
Experimenting with materials, she draws upon found objects and reclaimed fabrics to create her painting supports, improvised structures and the mark-making brushes themselves.
Here, dust sheets are transformed into canvases, and discarded wooden slats become giant painterly tools when tied to dust pans.