Exhibition preview: Mind the Gap at Walcot Mortuary Chapel, Walcot Street, Bath

Friday 24th July 2009

A diverse quartet of artists are joining forces for a special exhibition in Bath.

Mind The Gap, which runs from Tuesday, August 11, to Sunday, August 16, features Bristol-based David Horton alongside Bath artists Catherine Sulzmann, Fiona Harron and Erin O'Connor.

Catherine explains: "I am a medical illustrator by trade but for this exhibition I will be producing work with a very different theme - the lost world of the late 1800s and early 1900s circus folk and how their lives are trapped in old photos and playing cards.

"The dusty plains of the Americas have blown away the old travelling circus and the muddy fields of England have swallowed up the circus animals. The world wars blew in, and the thrill of the carnival became a distant memory. I attempt to represent the old clowns and master acrobats from a time before they became warped by images of Ronald McDonald and wires and nets controlled the danger of the daredevils."

Erin O'Connor adds: "I'm a contemporary textile artist and designer, currently working with printed latex and found objects. I'm interested in creating interactive 'environments' that explore concepts of safety and danger. My work evokes a 'false sense of security'. I explore tactile materials and textures to create sculptural constructions, using hand and machine embroidery, digital printing and screen-printing, heat pressing and fabric manipulation".

Fiona Harron is a Bath-based artist who has worked for more than a decade creating best-selling designs for famous fashion and retail brands. Fiona's illustrations currently feature on her own range of custom vintage mirrors, elegant purses, and clothing. Fiona draws inspiration from her allotment in the centre of Bath - a natural haven of abundant beauty.

David Horton has been painting for more than 20 years, but this is his first exhibition in almost a decade. He works with acrylic on paper and canvas. His paintings are quite small, but they are beautifully formed and often intensely coloured. They hover gracefully somewhere between the abstract and the real.

Mind The Gap runs from Tuesday, August 11, to Sunday, August 16, at the Walcot Mortuary Chapel, Walcot Street, Bath. The gallery is open from 11am to 6pm and admission is free.