IT WAS a meeting of mayors, and the subject was culture.
Last week, Bracknell Forest mayor Cllr Ash Merry welcomed her counterpart from High Wycombe, Cllr Annie Baughan, for a special tour of South Hill Park’s latest exhibituion.
It is by Jan Gaska, is called Returning with a New Approach and can be seen in the venue’s Atrium and Balcony galleries.
Gaska was a Printmaker in Residence at South Hill Park between 2004 and 2006. In 2010, he became interested in the immediacy of oil paint, finding it an accommodating medium to work with.
He found direct observation an organic approach to painting which displayed the honesty and freshness he was seeking.
Cllrs Baughan and Merry enjoyed a guided tour thanks to curator Loucia Manopoulou, meeting Jan and finding out more about the other exhibitions at the arts centre.
They also explored the interactive installation Invisible by Basia Gorska, South Hill Park’s printmaking tutor, in the Mirror Gallery which challenges our perception and invites us to look at things in a different light.
Following this, they admired the Arts and Crafts Bringing Us Together at the Wilde Community Gallery which showcases local visual and performing artists’ works. This creative project began in the first lockdown, with an aim to bring the community together and keep morals high.
Cllr Baughan was delighted to drop in, having been friends with the artist for 40 years.
“I’ve always admired his artwork and I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled to see it in such a beautiful location, a gorgeous arts centre, and introduce a new friend and colleague to it,” she said. “We’ve had a wonderful day, a brilliant meeting of lots of ideas hatched and it’s just been a fantastic time, so thank you South Hill Park.’
And Cllr Merry said that it had been lovely to welcome Annie.
“This has been a really fantastic day meeting Jan and seeing how art can actually strengthen communities. Annie and I are going away with lots of good ideas for the mayors to work together to promote community engagement with South Hill Park and we hope to see you in the New Year with something rather special.”
The exhibition runs until February.
For more details, log on to: www.southhillpark.org.uk
