Laura Hospes’ work is highly autobiographical, addressing herself, her life with mental health issues and her struggle with being alive. Inspired by the magical work of Francesca Woodman, the black and white portraits of Stephan Vanfleteren and the dark lights of Dutch painter Rembrandt she has developed her own visual language and voice. Hospes believes learning from the Old Masters is the greatest and most pure manner of bringing emotions to life.

Speaking of issues of social politics, global movement and the hierarchy of citizenship, Al-Mashouk’s work employs performance, video, and sculptural based installation. Her work challenges the place of women in modern society by critiquing the male gaze that dominates not only the canon of art history but also contemporary society today.

Katie Spragg is interested in the classification of plants as weeds depending on cultural or locational factors. The glass dome, a Victorian method of display, is used to consider these relationships of classification. Under the domes, otherwise idyllic British hedgerows are interrupted by these Victorian-imported invaders.

Lucille Lewin’s work is the result of research into the origins of 18th Century European porcelain, and the alchemists who invented it.  The work references the Victorian Cabinet of Curiosities, and the early microscopic photographs of the natural world by Karl Blosfeldt.  Lewin takes great inspiration from the crystal rooms at the Science Museum and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.  Lewin’s sculptural ceramic objects explore the relationship between form, chemistry and process.

Lauren Nauman’s work explores the boundaries within clay through experimental processes. The work starts with the industrial methods of slip-casting in plaster moulds, used in non-traditional ways. 

 Victorious Secrets (Not Too Far Away) is a pencil drawing depicting migrants arriving in Greece on a Turkish Boat and is reminiscent of Theodore Gericault's painting The Raft of the Medusa.The female body is central to her work and she uses beauty as her weapon to address complex socio-political issues. Her use of traditional techniques, skill and delicacy connects her work to the art of the past.

To Isabelle Van Zeijl, beauty is a necessity, an antidote to everyday drudgery and a source of inspiration. She is fascinated by the art of the past and different perspectives on beauty through the ages. Boundaries fade as she blends techniques and idioms of the Old Masters with present-day aesthetics to create striking portraits.  

Katie Spragg creates work that aims to arouse curiosity.  Whether through sharing a story or conjuring a collective memory, her practice highlights the forgotten sources of joy and amusement that surround us.