ARTS – JUNE v4.qxp_Layout 1 26/05/2022 16:53 Page 1
STATE OF THE ART
EXHIBITIONS
Postcards from Kenya, East Lambrook Manor Gardens, 4 June – 23 July Moish Sokal is bringing the colour of Africa to East Lambrook Manor Gardens in his latest exhibition Postcards from Kenya. The years leading up to this exhibition have been testing. After finally landing in his hometown of Sydney after the long absence imposed by the pandemic, Moish was caught up in the severe flooding that hit the eastern coast of Australia in 2021. When he returned to his home, however, he found that his paintings had been spared. It was during this time that memories of Moish’s trip to Kenya started to return. He remembered his visit to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage and to the famous Maasai Mara wildlife park. He also recalled his travels through the rift valley to the lakes in Naivasha and Nakuru wildlife parks and his exploration of old Mombasa. His memories are forever captured in his work. Alongside Moish’s exotic paintings of Kenya, the artist has found inspiration in the English countryside, staying put for a while made him appreciate the changing seasons and allowed him to find the magic again. • moishsokal.co.uk
Image: Milk for baby elephant by Moish Sokal
Holding the Baby, Arnolfini, until 12 June BS9 Arts Trail, 18 – 19 June After a couple of years of disruption due to the pandemic, the BS9 Arts Trail is back in its usual summer slot in the Bristol art calendar. This year, 88 artists will be showing their work over the weekend of 18 – 19 June. The trail takes place in 13 fantastic venues around Henleaze, Stoke Bishop and Westbury-on-Trym. Take a summer walk around the BS9 postcode and discover amazing buildings in stunning locations, including Trinity College, Redmaids' High, Badminton School and Trymwood Studios. There are also new venues such as Bradbury Hall, TrinityHenleaze URC, and the We Make Bristol shop in Westbury Village. The 88 local artists taking part in the trail are passionate about their work. Some are amateurs who make their work as part of their hobby, while others are established professional artists, whose work is shown in galleries around the country. The work on show includes paintings, prints, drawings, illustration, photography, digital art, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, jewellery and more. There will be something to suit all budgets, from unique original art works to more affordable prints and cards. Several venues offer refreshments, which not only provide welcome breaks in your journey, but help with fundraising for local good causes. • bs9arts.co.uk
Image: Indian Orange Poppies by Nancy Chambers
Award-winning documentary photographer, Polly Braden, in her latest exhibition, Holding the Baby, creates a portrait of the strength and resilience of single parent families facing austerity. Braden’s participatory project (which began life at the Museum of the Home), features families from Bristol, London, and Liverpool, including photographic portraits and narrated stories, highlighting the lived experience, strength, and resilience of single parents. Inspired and provoked by a United Nations report which stated that single parents have been hardest hit by UK austerity measures, Braden’s collaborative photographs – some taken during lockdown by the parents themselves – capture the families’ sense of adventure, optimism, creativity and ambition, that transcends the often difficult, situations they face. Accompanied by excerpts from conversations between the families and journalist Sally Williams, and reflections on the idea of ‘home’ drawn together by writer Claire-Louise Bennett, Braden captures the individual stories of Fran, Jahanara, Charmaine, Aaron, Barbeline, Caroline, Gemma and Carike, highlighting the universality of their lives. • arnolfini.org.uk Image courtesy of Polly Braden
30 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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JUNE 2022
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No 211
