Curated by Lydia Allain Chapman
Embrace the moment at Bonnie Gibbons’ solo exhibition, ‘Beyond the Window’, at Boston Manor House this autumn
- Debut solo show from Ealing-based artist at Hounslow’s newly restored Boston Manor
- Landscapes explore human relationships with the natural world
- Visit Exhibition, Manor and surrounding 34-acre parkland, free of charge
This Autumn, Bonnie Gibbons will present her exhibition, ‘Beyond the Window’, at Boston Manor House. Her drawings from life intimately explore what it feels like to be in a particular moment and place.
From large-scale canvases to private sketches, this exhibition of soft pastel work on paper invites you to connect with your own surroundings – the Jacobean architecture of Boston Manor and the verdant parkland beyond.
How often do you put down your phone and look out of the window? How often do you really look and consider the place you are in and how it feels to be there? Directly confronting your surroundings can, in itself, be an act of bravery.
For Bonnie Gibbons, working from life allows her to connect with the ground beneath her feet and the landscape around her. Originally trained as a knitwear designer, Gibbons is obsessed with expressing the textures of a landscape – the depth of the sky, the repetition of the leaves – and uses soft pastels which are tactile and love being worked by hands.
Beyond the Window is Gibbons’ first solo exhibition at a public gallery and follows Drawing is about hope – a month-long display in February 2024 at Parliament Hill Lido in Hampstead. As well as exhibiting in London galleries (Picture, Hammersmith; Candid Gallery, Islington), Gibbons’ work has recently been featured at The Turner House in Penarth, Wales, as part of their 2023 Open Exhibition.
Alongside Gibbons’ work, Beyond the Window will include screenings of a new film about her artistic process. The film was made by London-based film collective, Studio Nar, and was created on location in Cornwall and Brentford. To accompany the exhibition, free self-guided learning activities will be available for all ages, which explore new ways of thinking about colour.
Bonnie Gibbons said:
“I am so excited to have been invited to Boston Manor House for my first solo show at a public gallery. Art is for everyone, regardless of education, background or anything else so it feels really special to be exhibiting within my local community at a venue which is not only freely accessible but has such a strong mission to connect people with creative ideas, nature and learning. I hope the show will inspire people to get outside and look loads at the world around them.”
About Bonnie Gibbons
Artist Bonnie Gibbons’s works on paper explore surface, pattern and colour. Originally trained as a knitwear designer, texture and layers are integral to her handwriting.
From her van-shaped studio, Bonnie Gibbons enjoys the process of absorbing her surroundings; looking at things from the floor, and then straight up into the sky.
Her art is about hope and chaos – often optimistic, sometimes uneasy. Even grey skies have hidden reds, yellows, and blues to unpick.
Bonnie Gibbons has exhibited in London, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Wales. As a designer, she has created textiles and surfaces that have been sold in the US & Europe, and has been exhibited at international trade shows, such as Premiere Vision & Pitti Immagine Filati.
IG: @BonnieAnneGibbons