Exhibition Review: THERE IS NOT A FASHION
Image Credit: Momnah Shahnaz
Momnah Shahnaz reviews the THERE IS NOT A FASHION exhibition taking place at Hyde Park Book Club and discusses details from the ‘In Conversation’ event that was held.
Hyde Park Book Club is a known scene for all things creative. It’s a communal space that ignites imagination and lets creativity run wild with good music, good food, and good conversation. I’m writing this here right now fueled with a mocha, surrounded by insightful conversations, and accompanied by the beautiful paintings in front of me. The very paintings that are part of the THERE IS NOT A FASHION exhibition, curated by Howard Eaglestone.
Howard Eaglestone is an artist and was the curator of this exhibition. I had the lovely opportunity to attend the in person conversation event held by Howard Eaglestone, Matt Boyle and the chosen artists: Jasper Law, Elizabeth Omotosho, Finn O’Rourke and Skyla Isabella West. It was so insightful to hear them all speak about their pieces and their contributions to this exhibition. The artists involved are all recent fine art university graduates across Leeds and have strikingly individual voices.
Howard Eaglestone spoke about his inspiration for the title which was lovely and interesting to hear. He spoke about how all of these artists demonstrated a personal interest and a profound engagement with art and with their works, which he thought was not a current trend across other degree shows. Their voices were so apparent in these pieces and stood out, which I wholeheartedly agree with. It’s what stood out to me most. The manner in which everyone there spoke about the work, the process, and the venue was admirable. It also reiterated how the venue was the perfect place to host the artists’ works.
Jasper Law.
Jasper Law is currently pursuing a master’s in Fine Art: Painting. His medium involves oil paint and he aims to find beauty in mundanity. Jasper’s paintings stood out to me because of how he portrays mundane objects so intricately. His pieces on show at this exhibition were stunning and they were titled Rubber Formation I and Rubber Formation II. Jasper said his work is not narrative driven and instead focuses on everyday objects/materials. I was moved by the simplicity of the chosen objects and left the exhibition paying more attention to how I perceive everyday objects. His works definitely evoke thoughts regarding how we view mundanity. The way he painted them was gorgeous, and a sense of emotion and questions about our surroundings are instilled into an audience. Since seeing this exhibition, I’ve been trying to pay attention to finding beauty in mundanity and his pieces have definitely left me with more appreciation and joy.
Image Credit: Momnah Shahnaz. Artist: Jasper Law.
Elizabeth Omotosho.
Elizabeth Omotosho is pursuing a master’s in Painting currently. Her work was stunning and genuinely left me in awe. She works with paint and also digital design, combining the two to create beautiful pieces. During the in conversation event, she discussed the themes of heritage, identity and religion in her work. She grew up in Italy, has Nigerian roots and moved to Leeds and she talked about how all of these backgrounds have had an impact on her work in regard to finding belonging and the idea of changing identity. I thought that was evidently apparent through her works, as they were both incredibly moving pieces that felt vulnerable and true. They seemed to celebrate diversity and identity and were stunning pieces that evoked such emotion. They were titled Aduke and The fruits and the realism was brilliant. The fruits depicted faceless figures which, again, left me in deep contemplation. When leaving her works, I felt somewhat emotional and found myself considering my personal associations with identity, religion and belonging. It was a marvellous experience.
Image Credit: Momnah Shahnaz. Artist: Elizabeth Omotosho
Finn O’Rourke.
Finn O’Rourke’s work was so beautifully colourful. His work really stood out to me through how vibrant it all was and I deeply adored his painting style. During the event, he spoke about how he explores interior places and does his research by focusing on small moments that occur within these places. His works have no people in them, yet the spaces feel lively and are enriched with people’s presence. When admiring his pieces, I found myself looking at the depicted spaces and creating personal narratives/small moments within them. His work truly felt alive. The pieces on show all involved oil paint and were titled Set No. 262, Exposition Sticks and Waiting Room. I loved them all but Waiting Room really stood out to me because I could feel the simultaneous absence/presence of people in this the most. The small capture of light amongst the dark interior space was beautiful and spoke so loudly.
Image Credit: Momnah Shahnaz. Artist: Finn O’Rourke
Skyla Isabella West.
Skyla Isabella West combines different sorts of mediums such as sculpture, print and photography and she also works with chemical printing which is entirely impressive and cool. I initially thought her work to be somewhat enigmatic because I couldn’t entirely figure it out, but something about that instilled deep emotion within me. I could feel a story within her pieces. During the event, she discussed how her works are about the past, present and future and how the importance of memories is apparent in her works. Her work feels intimate and explores memory and nostalgia, which are themes that hit all of us. They encapsulate a shared experience, whilst she explores her own past, present and future. The pieces on show were titled Full of Phlegm and Venom, Lipgloss! (3) and Lipgloss! (5). Her works demonstrated the shared experience and connection that we all have. Leaving her work had me considering my past, present and future and everything deeply nostalgic to me.
Image Credit: Momnah Shahnaz. Artist: Skylar Isabella West
All of these pieces were beautiful, with all of them leaving me with different insights. Being tangibly close to these pieces and hearing from the artists themselves was an incredible experience. Hyde Park Book Club really is a perfect host for these beautiful paintings and if you are out and about in Leeds, I couldn’t recommend going to check these out enough! The exhibition will be held there till 1 December 2025 so you’ve got plenty of time. And whilst you’re there, get a coffee, catch up with a friend and leave feeling renewed.
Words by Momnah Shahnaz