I was honoured to be invited as an artist in residence, exhibiting as part of a collective of 19 local artists celebrating the diversity and creativity of Battersea and Nine Elms. We were responding to a central piece: the amazing Nativity mural by Adalberto Lonardi.
Nine Elms Arts Ministry teamed up with art’otel to bring artists, the community and hotel guests together in an interactive, festive installation, in the Art’beat studio at art’otel London, opposite Battersea Power Station. I visited the studio and responded to the mural and the theme in my own style and media, creating work that stayed on display for the length of the project.
My piece, Children of Bethlehem, shows three children running towards the brilliance of a guiding star against a backdrop of uncertainty, embodying the optimism we find in the next generation. I wanted to capture possibility, dreams and an unwavering belief in a peaceful future in troubled times. The star is a beacon of light: not only a celestial wonder, but the aspirations we reach for in our own lives and on the journey we share as humanity.
The piece was prompted by the news that Christmas had been cancelled in Bethlehem that year.