Bev Pike: Grottesque: Spectacles of Miniature & Gigantic

Bev Pike percolates her monumental paintings with smaller works by several women artists. These comparative miniatures bracket her works to recreate the theatricality of four hundred year-old underground shell-encrusted grottos in England.

The real fake caves exist at a suitable distance from great Palladian houses, just far enough for fashionable guests (with their poets and painters) to wander into the semi-darkness seeking a little thrill of wonder.

There, theatrical walls have wild symbolic imagery and ancient geometric designs.

Here, unexpected enormousness beside smaller brilliance simulates experiences of transcendence within those ancient grottos.

We draw up close while feeling compelled to move about the gallery. Focusing on detail encourages the mind to wander and the body to relax. We wait, we analyse, we perceive anew. We embody awe.

Thus, every square inch of any grotto, including this metaphorical one, tells a story and encourages visitors to do the same.