Glyndebourne goes online with Faye Bridgwater exhibition

Glyndebourne’s next online art exhibition will feature new work by the award-winning contemporary artist Faye Bridgwater.
Faye BridgwaterFaye Bridgwater
Faye Bridgwater

Ritual and Repetitions brings together 15 new paintings created by Faye during lockdown over the winter of 2020. All of the works are inspired by the landscape of the Sussex Downs around Brighton where she lives and works.

Glyndebourne spokesman Luke Batchelor said: “The title of the exhibition is a reference to Bridgwater’s rigorous creative process which follows a ritual of documenting, drawing and distilling. She starts every new painting by walking the countryside, revisiting places and views over days and weeks to record details that others might miss.

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“In her studio, she installs numerous canvases across her walls and draws and writes directly onto each one, working across all the paintings at once and refining her ideas over time.

“Along with fluorescent pinks and dazzling yellows, the new paintings feature a vibrant green, a colour Bridgwater has not been drawn to before, that is inspired by Glyndebourne.”

Faye explains “The green reflects on seeing Glyndebourne’s gardens for the first time. Anyone who visits Glyndebourne must be blown away by the approach. There are breathtaking views on all sides. Then you discover these beautiful grounds in the middle of the hills. Like a secret garden, full of colour and interesting natural shapes, even in the middle of winter.

“I’m lucky I can escape to my studio when others can’t go outside. I want to fill the room with wonderful bright colours when it’s grey out there and create joy through paint.”

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The visual arts have been an integral part of the Glyndebourne experience since the inception of its annual summer opera festival in 1934.

The company curates regular exhibitions of contemporary art and sculpture, many of which take place in Gallery 94, a purpose-built exhibition gallery located inside the opera house. Ritual and Repetitions is Gallery 94’s second virtual exhibition, following Fair Ground in November 2020.

Ritual and Repetitions runs from February 1-28 on the Glyndebourne website. All of the works in the exhibition will be available to buy from the Glyndebourne shop at prices between £300-£3,000.

Faye (b 1978) is a landscape painter, living and working in Brighton. She studied photography at West Herts College before taking a degree in sculpture at Sheffield Hallam University. She has exhibited across the UK, most recently at the Mall Galleries for the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and for the Society of Women Artists’ Open Exhibition.

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