An exhibition of recent work by Doreen Fletcher 14th November – 20th December 2020
It is four years since ‘Lost Time’, that first exhibition here of Doreen Fletcher’s earlier paintings of the East End. In that time there has been much wider recognition of her work: a monograph published by Spitalfields Life Books after that first discovery recounted in the Gentle Author’s blog, a retrospective of her work at Bow Arts and features on radio, television and in numerous publications. Doreen’s work caught the public imagination, capturing the cultural memory of an East End at the moment it was disappearing.
Much has changed in Doreen’s life since those early days. She stopped painting in 2003 moved to Forest Gate and started painting again ten years later. Her work is now of an extended East End, but her inspiration is still largely dependent on the routes she takes and what she sees as she travels by public transport or by car.
The East End has of course changed too since those paintings of the 80s and 90s, and so Still Standing, the title of this 2020 exhibition, might seem a contradiction. It was a landscape at the point then of overwhelming change and many of the buildings in Doreen’s early work are long gone. Not all however, and the title conveys something about Doreen’s focus: it is the importance in her work of the passage of time. Buildings are monumental, they are built to last and although they may crumble, fade and eventually disappear, they endure. The contrast with the ephemeral marks we leave on these buildings whether graffiti, lettering or even notes is a source of constant interest to her in her work.
As this exhibition is likely to be very popular it will be necessary to book to visit the gallery during the show – please contact us to reserve a slot. These will be in half hour blocks for a total of ten people in the gallery, with a maximum of two people per booking.
A new enlarged edition of Lost Time, incorporating Doreen’s new work on show here, will be published to accompany the exhibition and will also be available to order online from early November.
