A solo exhibition by Lola Stong-Brett at the Carl Freedman Gallery
Open 12 noon - 5pm, Wednesday - Sunday
Preview: Saturday 28th, 6 - 8pm
Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present For That, I'll Always Smile, a solo exhibition by Margate artist Lola Stong-Brett...
Lola Stong-Brett’s paintings draw deeply from her immediate surroundings, memory, and nostalgia, functioning as intimate diary entries that contemplate the ebb and flow of everyday existence. Her work delves into the inherent contradictions of human nature, exploring the fluid boundaries between joy and despair, and drawing on both her personal mindset and the universal concepts of ascent and fall—heaven and hell—within her relationships and inner world.
The figures in Stong-Brett’s work, initially reminiscent of animated characters like Popeye and Bimbo, evolve from playful familiarity into unsettling, often violent portrayals of ordinary life. Shaped in her upbringing within a community deeply invested in hard work and resilience, she was drawn to these characters for their depiction of working-class life, resonating with the authenticity of her own experiences. By intertwining abstraction with figuration and merging the cartoonish with the gravitas of oil painting, Stong-Brett collapses the divide between high and low art. Her use of facade-like masking overlays darker, more melancholic meanings, much like a public mask conceals private complexities. Over time, the figures become increasingly ambiguous, leaving the viewer uncertain whether they are embracing or strangling one another, symbolising the tension between connection and conflict.
Living by the sea in Margate, Stong-Brett finds a delicate balance between the comforts of domesticity and the uncontrollable forces of nature. This tension between the familiar and the chaotic pervades her work, as she juxtaposes the mundanities of everyday life—pool tables, pub scenes—with the raw, elemental presence of the sea. In her paintings, Stong-Brett also weaves in her personal interests, including tattooing, folk art, and her own poetry, adding layers of meaning that reflect both her artistic practice and her personal identity.
Free Entry
Address
Lola Stong-Brett: For That I'll Always Smile
Carl Freedman Gallery, 28 Union Crescent, Margate
CT9 1NS
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