STATE OF THE ART

Studio 74 , throughout July

Visit Studio 74 and experience the captivating world of portraiture and figurative art, showcasing a range of acclaimed artists from Craig Alan, Fabian Perez, The Connor Brothers and emerging artist Gank Pansuay. Delving into the depths of human expression and emotion, witness the power of the human form, as each piece tells a unique story. Immerse yourself in a visual journey that celebrates the beauty, complexity, and diversity of the human experience.

• studio74contemporaryart.com; 74 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2QA

Sea Changes: Janette Kerr PPRWA, HRSA, Clifton Contemporary Art, 1 –25 July

To simply call the works of Janette Kerr ‘sea paintings’ is not enough. They are responses to landscape and environment, sound, silence and movement: the swell and breaking of waves, the confluence of spray with air, emerging sunlight and advancing rain. Her potent and encompassing oil paintings convey the constant interplay between restless, dynamic forces. Here is the pure, untethered character of nature and its primal energy.

To harness the intangible, elusive edges between place and atmosphere, science and spirit, experience and spontaneity, Janette immerses herself completely in her subject, travelling extensively in the wildest places, focusing on Shetland and the Far North. Whether sailing the coast of Svalbard in the High Arctic, collaborating with Norwegian Oceanographers or living in remote Greenland for months, there is always a sense of the northern romantic tradition –of embracing the sublime. Few contemporary painters achieve this with such clarity and conviction.

• cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk; 25 Portland Street, Clifton, BS8 4JB Image: Sokkin byJanetteKerr

Marla Allison, Rainmaker Gallery, 6 July –12 August

Rainmaker Gallery welcomes back Indigenous artist Marla Allison, a celebrated painter from the Laguna Pueblo and Hopi tribes. The graphic paintings in this exhibition utilise traditional pottery designs and stylised portraiture to celebrate her thriving tribal cultures in a contemporary context.

Marla’s maternal aunt is United States Cabinet Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, the first Indigenous Cabinet Secretary in the history of the USA. Marla Allison will be in conversation with gallery curator Jo Prince on the afternoon of Thursday 6 July. Contact the gallery to book this event.

• rainmakerart.co.uk; 140 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2RS

Image: Clouds in the Window, acrylic on canvas by Marla Allison

Loss: Chaja Verkerk, St Albans Church, 2 –9 July

This July, St Albans Church will be hosting an exhibition by artist Chaja Verkerk on the theme of loss.

A multimedia art installation comprising different mediums –textile art, paintings, photography and poetry. Inviting all to explore and engage in different kinds of losses, the process of grief and how we all experience mourning.

Does losing a loved one feel the same as losing yourself? How do you accept losing things you never had? Are we allowing ourselves to grieve about a job rejection or do we only permit ourselves the ability to grieve on big impact events within life such as the loss of a loved one or climate crisis? Following the cycle of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance, this exhibition hopes to conjure open conversations about loss in a time where it can sometimes be hard to connect and share with others. The exhibition will be open daily from 9am –5pm. The official opening will take place on 2 July with a Requiem mass at 6.30pm and a spoken-word open mic around the theme of loss hosted by Chaja Verkerk on 4 July at 7.30pm. Bereavement café will open in the church on 5 July at 11am.

• chajanadiaverkerk.com

Artwork by Chaja Verkerk

Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City, Royal West of England Academy (RWA), until 13 August

Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City, is a national touring exhibition curated for the Arts Council Collection by Turner Prize-winning artist and cultural activist Lubaina Himid CBE. This exhibition of over 60 works, including some by Bristol-based artists, presents a wide array of modern and contemporary art, including painting, sculpture, photography and film from both the Arts Council Collection and artists’ studios. The work in this exhibition can sometimes appear challenging and encourages visitors to view the city through a woman’s eyes, questioning our understanding of the urban city. Found Cities, Lost Objects addresses themes ranging from safety and navigation to concepts of belonging and power and fun, freedom and discovery.

RWA is excited to include work by Bristol artists Valda Jackson, Mellony Taper, Beth Carter RWA, Huma Mulji, and Veronica Vickery, amongst others.

• Royal West of England Academy, Queen’s Road, BS8 1PX

Image: Renamed City by Mellony Taper

Moish Sokal: England to Savanna, Malthouse

Gallery of East Lambrook Manor Gardens, until 22 July

Travelling artist Moish Sokal has recently returned from his painting adventure safari trips to the wildlife parks of Tanzania and Kenya. His newly inspired watercolours are on show in the Malthouse Gallery of East Lambrook Manor Gardens until 22 July.

After waiting three years to travel to the wildlife parks of the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro due to the Covid pandemic, Moish (and his assistant Prue) were able to return to the African bush, taking in the extraordinary sights of Tarangire National Park, the extinct volcanoof Ngorongoro and the Tsavo wildlife parks.

Alongside the wildlife paintings that Sokal painted upon his return from Africa, there is a significant cache of paintings which Moish painted during last years’ Autumn season featured in the exhibition.

• moishsokal.co.uk; eastlambrook.com

Artwork by Moish Sokal

Let The Sunshine In, Sandra Higgins Art, throughout July

Sandra Higgins Art is delighted to showcase The Summer Selection, a curation of artwork reflecting the ambience and promise of the season: hazy skies, twinkling water and landscapes cloaked in verdure. See the full selection of works on Sandra Higgins’ website or email to arrange an appointment to view in person. The new series is currently available at The Viewing Room in Bath.

• sandrahiggins.art; sandra@sandrahiggins.com

Image: The Small Gaze 20cm x 20cm acrylic on birch panel