Art in the Bar: BLACKMAGGIT: On The Beach!
Preview: Friday 30th May 7pm
Exhibition continues until 12th July, Open Weds – Sat 11am-7pm
A series of sun-scorched, spray-painted scenes from the edge of desire.
We go to the beach to cut out the noise.
But the beach isn’t silent, it’s a raw and hostile environment where everything is on display: guts out, toes out, but also a place to hide behind dark sunglasses, using a towel as a barrier against harsh sand that gets everywhere.
It’s bright, warm, and spacious, yet barren, hostile, and desiccated. A place of idealism and retreat, but also of irritating sensitivity and overexposure. These contradictions mirror the constant tension in the paintings between desire, vulnerability, and control.
This exhibition features new works that layer spray paint and oils on plywood. The paintings are informed by raw memory and libidinal desire, exploring themes of gender, body-image, and intimacy. They come from a process of light-hearted, curious practice with an aim of capturing the mood, lighting, and symbolism of the moment.
The work also reflects digital culture: phones, online aesthetics, and virtual spaces that bring both chaos and control into daily life. Social media trends and tools like ChatGPT inform not only the content of the works but also the process itself. They offer helpful resources as well as layers of sticky, gritty noise.
Painting is a negotiation between spontaneity and curation, personal desire and external expectation. For Adam Charlton, it’s a way of moving through 2025 with awareness – a way of gathering momentum in a world that constantly shifts beneath their feet