On a freezing cold winter’s morning, I rose from my bunker and tentatively made my way out onto the stone path and was immediately hit by the temperature but once into my stride I quickly warmed to the task and made quick headway towards the Hastings contemporary gallery situated in the fishing quarter of Hastings.
Once there I moved into the main gallery and was immediately impressed with the large paintings on show. The artist is Belgium born- British artist Caragh Thuring. The work spans fifteen years and is the first major survey of her work. With more than 20 works from paintings, drawings and monotypes it represents an impressive body of work.
Thuring grew up in Scotland she lived near the beautiful Holy loch in Cowel. Although from 1961 -1992 it was used as a United States Navy Ballistic Missile base, which might be the reason that Thuring has the clash between industrial and nature that flows through her work. The exhibition is on until March 12th 2023.
Dock 2 by Caragh Thuring
There are currently two exhibitions in the upstairs gallery. I was particularly taken by the drawing of Penny McCarthy. The catalyst for the drawing according to the press release was a newspaper image from 2016 of a Fata Morgana mirage in the sky above Hastings that looked like a portal in the sky. She was prevented by the pandemic from going to Hastings, but a path opened up for her to look at the exploration of myths and narratives associated with the sea and sky. The artist received the biennial Evelyn Williams award in 2019 and McCarthy has achieved a great body of work from it, that entwines the atmospheric overtones of the gothic. The exhibition is on until 12th March 2023. The third exhibition is a group show titled Making Waves and is a special exhibition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the gallery opening its doors. The exhibition includes works by Chantel Joffe, Rose Wylie, Maggie Hambling and Quentin Blake. The exhibition is on until 12th March 2023 and I really recommend a visit.
Cathy McCarthy Title; Clouds fall in love with mortal. For me this has the drawing quility of Anselm Kiefer.