Pleased to be a part of Sunny Side Up, a group exhibition that embraces yellow as a metaphor for optimism and positivity and being together a fusion of new voices. This exhibition includes CLOSE and invited artists from a broad and far-reaching demographic with one common element within their visual language.
Van Gogh famously used yellow in his sunflower paintings and The Yellow House (1888). During Picasso’s Blue Period, he incorporated yellow to contrast and highlight faces and significant objects. Renoir used yellow to add shine and definition to hair or to emphasize key elements of his paintings, such as the boat in The Skiff (1875).
Yellow also carries cultural significance beyond the art world. The Beatles’ song Yellow Submarine (1966) commentators suggest a deeper meaning. Time Magazine described it as a “symbol of the psychedelic set’s desire for escape,” while music journalist Peter Doggett noted that it became “a kind of Rorschach test for radical minds.”
In Christian iconography, Judas is often depicted wearing yellow, symbolizing deceit. American slang refers to yellow as cowardice, and during the Renaissance, Jewish people were marked with yellow. Tragically, this was echoed in the Holocaust. These contrasting meanings reflect the complexities of yellow’s symbolism throughout history. As we grapple with the tensions and challenges of our troubled world, Sunny Side Up invites a deeper reflection on our past, present, and future. We hope this will inspire a conversation about belief, transformation, and hope.
Artists:
Patrick Alston | Helen Barff | Amanda Benson | Suzanne Blank Redstone | Gordon Cheung | Will Cruickshank | Stewart Geddes | Magnus Hammick | Jane Harris | Lee Johnson | Nicholas Lees | Angela Lizon | Chris Levine | Sol Lewitt | Jason Martin | Kate MccGwire | Trish Morrissey | Anna Mossman | Mahali O’ Hare | Niamh O'Malley | Katherine Perrins | Umar Rashid | Tamsin Relly | Mark Surridge | Lucy Temple | Joe Warrior Walker | Lisa Wright
Sunny Sided Up
Private View: 4-8pm 15 March 2025
Date: 15 March - 26 April 2025
Address: Close Gallery, Close House, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset, TA3 6AE
Opening Times:
Monday - Wednesday: By Appointment
Thursday & Friday: 11am - 5pm
Saturday: 11am - 3pm
Sunday: Closed