By James Brewer
Four artists with widely varying, exceptional styles joined together in the heart of London’s West End to unveil an outstanding midsummer exhibition of their work.
The quartet are charismatic members of the collective organised by artist and interior designer Tashi Khan. Tashi, Johanne Narayn, Marta Boros and Dow Pitchaiwtkomol showed their latest interpretations on the themes dear to their practice, underlining their cosmopolitan outlook.
Under the title Exotic Blend of Mayfair, from June 28 to July 5, 2023, the group hung striking examples of their output in the cosy Gallery Marquess, tucked away in a narrow lane that is part of historic Shepherd Market.
Tashi’s vivid and joyful view of the world shone brightly, with the hats and hairstyles she depicts speaking strongly of female agency – you can see their vitality in their eyes, as exemplified in the two four-portrait series Chapeaux de Primadonna, and Tresses. Another of Tashi’s striking works brings out the mystery of Medusa, the figure from Greek mythology with hair of menacing snakes and power to turn men to stone with a disdainful stare. These pictures are not just faces, they are voices, different and individualised voices. In another of her acrylics, Mr Square in Times Square, Tashi’s quirky sense of humour unfolds. The contours are bold and sharp but there is always a lyricism to her studies.
Tashi speaks of herself as holding a dialogue on contemporary times, in which she reflects on the positive side of irrevocable change. She honours transience, reflecting on everyday moments, “to look, remember and to serve as a reminder that new forms always emerge and refresh what seems momentary or constant.” A recent restriction on her mobility after breaking her ankle simply gave an impulse to her productivity.
Also diving deep into the palette of arresting colours but in a more naturalistic style is Johanne Narayn whose exhibits included Underwater Theatre, a pulsating impression of some of the glories of the Caribbean. Johanne’s limpid representation of samples of the flora and creatures beneath the sea. That and Tropical Haven Trinidad, an exuberant impression of the Asa Wright Nature Centre in the northern mountain range, are a product of her visit to the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago where she has family ties and was making illustrations of birds for a children’s book – the story of a hummingbird named Zoe – written by Christine Cardinez, director of Angels Music School in Port of Spain. As an assured expressionist painter, Johanne “aims to use elements of nature and shapes and colour harmonies to evoke positive, feel-good emotions.”
While in Trinidad Johanne was inspired by a visit to a sanctuary for birdwatchers run by Theodore Ferguson and his wife Gloria. The sanctuary in the Maracas valley of the former capital St Joseph is named Yerettê after the Amerindian word for hummingbird. Johanne was engrossed by a talk by Dr Ferguson, a researcher on hummingbirds, agricultural scientist and leadership development specialist, on the bird breed, including the rare glittering-throated emerald which unexpectedly visited his garden in 2019. The arrival of the delicate, feathered visitor brought the number of species of hummingbird in the republic to 19.
The daughter of a Trinidadian father and Irish mother, UK-based Johanne is proud of her mixed heritage, which has “a very positive aspect for me. I put that down to the positivity of my parents, the life I have had since a child.” She grew up on tales of Irish folklore and stories of the ‘exotic’ islands Trinidad and Tobago.
Dow Pitchaiwtkomol is the newest member of the collective. She was showing a shimmering view in oil on canvas of Whippendell Wood, showing her mastery of light. The Hertfordshire woodland, which dates from 1600 or earlier, was once part of Henry VIII’s Cassiobury estate. An avenue of lime trees from 1672 runs diagonally through the wood.
Born in Thailand, Dow moved to England in the late 1970s. In 2002 she started attending classes at Harrow Arts Centre, as a hobby but an accident left her with walking difficulties and back problems. “My life changed completely but with the kindness and encouragement I received from my children and friends I started taking my hobby a little more seriously. I taught myself drawing and painting in a studio I had built at home. Anything that caught my eye, that I could sketch or paint became the subject of my new occupation.”
Dow enjoys working in media, from just pencil, carefully building up a full tonal range, to painting in watercolour, acrylic and oil. In 2005 she started to walk with a stick and found the confidence to rejoin classes at Harrow. She painted animals, landscapes, flowers, and figurative work, including life drawing. She volunteered as an art teacher for adults with learning difficulties to help build their confidence and support their progress.
She says: “My art aims to bring quietness and contemplation, the significant qualities of meditation from my Buddhist heritage. My work shows idealised scenes so that when people look at them, they think ‘I would like to be there.’”
Poet and painter Marta Boros showed one of her most dramatic works to date: Woman’s World which is in acrylic, collage and spray on canvas. In succinct brushstrokes, Marta interrogates the aspiration of determined femininity, through her existential and autobiographical approach. The spray lends the gold lustre of life and desire, self-esteem and sensuality. Marta also had on display her skill as a ceramicist, with a piece named Coat, executed in the studios of Morley College on the South Bank of the Thames.
