This Saturday Brighton based painter Matt Lambert launches a solo exhibition of new pictures at the Fishing Quarter Gallery on the seafront. Lambert, who studied illustration at Brighton, is an accomplished artist whose work has gathered a significant following in recent years. His pictures are collected internationally, and the Telegraph recently named him as one of their ‘British Artists To Invest In’. As a co-founder of the Pass It On Africa charity, he is also one of the organisers of Brighton’s annual Heroes Run – an exuberant fancy dress fun run which has been a popular seafront fixture for the past 13 years.
Lambert’s efforts have helped his charity to raise thousands of pounds for school building projects in Africa, but the philanthropic interests of his personal life have inevitably also fed into his artworks, inspiring him to ask open ended questions about the acquisition of objects, the disposable culture of the West and, by association, what it means to be alive and to aspire. How do we define happiness and success, and how are these things manifested?
The Heroes Run event has also inspired Lambert in a recent series exploring costumes and masks, together with their symbolism. “Some of us feel compelled to hide aspects of ourselves,” he explains. “It is not that we have nefarious intentions to deceive, it is simply human nature. It is how we have learned to interact in our social groups. Some masks are attitudes, some are literal costumes. We learn mask adoption early in life and my superhero kids series signify our first steps into our alter ego existence.”
Lambert unveils 24 new artworks for this week long exhibition. The paintings are sold via online art auction website Catawiki, and the artist will be in the gallery between 6 and 9pm on Saturday to chat about the work.
Matt Lambert: KIND, Fishing Quarter Gallery, 201 King’s Road, Brighton.
Saturday 28th October – Sunday 5th November 2017, 10am – 4pm daily
Private View Saturday 28th October 6-9pm
