ON OUR RADAR

The Gift of Nearness

An exhibition of recent paintings by local artist Janet Sainsbury.

Leigh Curtis

Exeter Phoenix is presenting an exhibition of recent paintings on canvas and paper by Exeter-based artist Janet Sainsbury from 6 July to 31 August.

The exhibition features portraits of radical women including writer Shelagh Delaney, art collector Peggy Guggenheim, photographer Lee Miller and artist Eileen Agar, as well as male poets, musicians and actors.

The exhibition’s title, The Gift of Nearness, is taken from one of several portraits of modernist writer Katherine Mansfield included in the show.

The Gift of Nearness by Janet Sainsbury, 2024 The Gift of Nearness by Janet Sainsbury, 2024.

Janet Sainsbury paints imagined situations populated by characters drawn from art history and popular culture, aiming to create alternative stories.

She has participated in many solo and group exhibitions at venues including RAMM, Studio Kind, Karst, Thelma Hubert Gallery, South London Gallery and The Plough Arts Centre.

Janet is also a member of Preston Street Union, a group of Exeter-based artists which makes collaborative work.

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The Gift of Nearness runs from Saturday 6 July to Saturday 31 August 2024 at the Phoenix Gallery, Exeter Phoenix.

The exhibition is open from 10.30am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday.

A launch event will be held on the exhibition’s opening day from 3-5pm, and the artist will give a free talk at 2pm on its closing day for which booking is required.

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