Guildford House Open 2024

January 19, 2025 Matt Bannister

‘Look Both Ways’ selected for the Guildford House Open 2024 exhibition

*Look Both Ways*, framed. Installation view.

One of my paintings ‘Look Both Ways’ was selected for the Guildford House Open 2024 exhibition. It’s currently on display at Guildford House Gallery, Guildford, Surrey.

In its 2nd year, the open competition received over 1000 entries by UK-based artists submitting both 2D and 3D artworks (I’m one of the lucky 80 selected).

Installed within the gallery’s 17th Century Grade 1 Listed townhouse, the exhibition presents artworks in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, textile, print, and mixed media. From the large scale to the small, the works on show incorporate materials that range from soot to botanically toned cyanotypes, from glass to gouache.

The show runs until Saturday 1 March 2025.

Night Flowers and Charity Nightwatch Croydon

August 5, 2024 Matt Bannister

The cover of Nightwatch Croydon’s 2024 Annual Report, featuring a crop of the painting 'Night Flowers' by Matt Bannister. The image shows people walking past and and waiting by a florist's stall at night. — The cover of Nightwatch Croydon’s 2024 Annual Report, featuring a crop of my painting.

My painting ‘Night Flowers’ was recently used on the cover of Nightwatch Croydon’s 2024 annual report. They are a charity founded by members of the community in Croydon who were concerned about homelessness. Still entirely voluntary, they have been running for more than forty years. Amongst their activities is a meeting point, staffed every evening of the year, where there give basic help with food and clothing and address the more profound needs of their clients.

'Night Flowers' by Matt Bannister. The image shows a painting of people walking past and and waiting by a florist's stall at night. — The full uncropped version of my painting.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2024

July 23, 2024 Matt Bannister

My two paintings: ‘East Bridge House (Turn Left)’ and ‘More Than One’ have been selected for the Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition 2024, coordinated by sculptor Ann Christopher RA and her committee of leading British artists and architects.

Courtyard of the Royal Academy, showing the banner for the Summer Exhibition 2024

Artist Matt Bannister standing in front of his painting 'East Bridge House' at the Royal Academy, London. — Proudly standing in “Concrete Corner” alongside ‘East Bridge House (Turn Left)’. Selected by Anne Desmet RA for her Gallery VII.

Painting by Matt Bannister showing giant raspberries in wooden cages. The title of the work is 'More Than One'. — ‘More Than One’ by Matt Bannister. Selected by Anne Desmet RA for her Gallery VII.

'More Than One' painting by Matt Bannister hanging in the Royal Academy

Both works are in the same room (gallery VII), curated by Anne Desmet RA, look great on the grey walls and have lovely neighbours to keep them company over the Summer. The show opened its doors on Tuesday 18th June, and will be closing on Sunday 18th August 2024.

East Bridge House, Croydon

The story behind the painting.

Buy prints of East Bridge House (Turn Left)

Solastalgia Exhibition at Turf Projects

March 14, 2024 Matt Bannister

I am taking part in a group exhibition called Solastalgia at Turf Projects, Croydon.

Installation view of the exhibition ‘Solastalgia’. Works shown are by Anita Wadsworth, Matt Bannister, Asha Fontenelle, Flora Hunt, Dave Miller.

“Solastalgia occurs when someone feels a sense of anxiety, grief, or loss due to the degradation or alteration of their home environment. It is the inability to find solace in one’s surroundings.”

The end of 2023 marked Turf Projects’ 10 year anniversary. It has been a time to look back at the journey the organisation has been on, celebrating all that we’ve achieved; and also to look forward to the space we are yet to carve out, the Croydon of the future we would like to create.
Following on from themes from our last programme ’Desire Paths’, and linking in to Turf’s year of ‘demystification’, Turf staff, studio holders, and collective members have contributed works to a group show exploring our relation to home, to sense of belonging, to Croydon and space – or lack thereof.
‘Solastalgia’ incorporates the work of 21 artists and groups to create a communal Croydon folklore; some works that celebrate our shared space, and some that show longing for those that have been lost.

Installation view of the exhibition ‘Solastalgia’. **Dark Park** by Matt Bannister.

Installation view of the exhibition ‘Solastalgia’. Works shown are **Dark Park** by Matt Bannister and pieces by Asha Fontenelle, and Dave Miller.

My large scale drawing (the largest I’ve done for a good few years) Dark Park is on display for the first part of the exhibition until 22nd March. From 23rd March to 27th April other pieces by me TBC will be on show.

Installation view of the exhibition ‘Solastalgia’. Photograph: ©Zoe Maxwell.

‘Solastalgia’ at Turf Projects. Photograph: ©Zoe Maxwell.

26 Jan – 27 Apr 2024

Turf Projects, 46-47 Trinity Court, Whitgift Centre, Croydon CR01UQ

Free & open to all

Royal Society of British Artists 2024 Exhibition

March 13, 2024 Matt Bannister

I was very lucky to have been one of the non-members selected for the Royal Society of British Artists 2024 Exhibition.

Here’s my work ‘February’ that Croydonians may also recognise from the banners hanging from lamp posts in and around the town (See previous post). Not surprisingly there were lots of great pieces by the artists at the exhibition at The Mall Galleries. There is now an online catalogue to view the show here.