Global Cultures: Meet the Artist | Beryl Desmond
As part of Global Cultures: A Visual Journey, we’re spotlighting the incredible artists behind the works—diving into their unique processes, perspectives, and practices.
This series explores how each artist engages with themes of place, transformation, and connection through their own visual language. From abstraction to narrative, from the personal to the universal—each voice adds a new layer to this collective journey across cultures.
Beryl Desmond shares a unique perspective on place, memory, and material. Drawing on iconic structures like the Clifton Suspension Bridge, she works with sponges and layered paint to explore the tension between permanence and change.
On Artistic Process and Conceptual Development-
“Having grown up in the city of Bristol, for me, brunels Clifton, suspension bridge has always been a familiar and welcome sight on the city's horizon. May be influenced by this well known landmark. I now enjoy exploring structures and space in the landscape in my art practice, which is centered around a thematic continuum, and my own process of making the size of this painting on canvas gives me the freedom to combine dynamic mark making with an expressionistic use of color while still keeping faithful to my limited color palette.
On Exploration of Painting Techniques and Concepts:
"Different tools, such as sponges are used to cover the larger areas- I work freely painting and over painting, allowing the work to develop in an unrestricted way. This allows traces of pass marks to remian and become an integral part of the history of the painting. This is reminiscent of the palimpsest, the traces found in medieval manuscripts when errors have been removed but are faintly visible as can be seen in New Horizons."
On Blurring Boundaries Between Representation and Reality
“The bridge itself is about connection and communication, and as I develop the work, the nature of the bridge gradually emerges as the subject is pushed beyond mere representation, I work to find the beauty behind the function of the bridge, creating a synergy between the subject, color and mark making, in this way, by blurring the boundaries between representation and reality, the viewer is invited to question the significance of the painting and the spirit of the bridge itself. “
"Global Cultures: A Visual Journey" invites viewers to embark on an artistic exploration across borders, delving into the diverse landscapes, traditions, and stories of different cultures around the world. This exhibition shifts the focus from belonging to one place, to the experience of discovering and engaging with new ones.
The collection celebrates travel as a transformative experience that opens doors to new perspectives, cultures, and histories. Through various artistic mediums, the exhibition captures the spirit of adventure and discovery, offering viewers a visual passport to the far reaches of our global community.
E X H I B I T I N G A R T I S T S:
AMY SHACKLETON
BERYL DESMOND
HABIB HAJALLIE
JOSHUA DONKOR
LINDA CLERGET
NADIA ATTURA
PHIL DAVIS
SAMUEL RYDE
YULIYA MARTYNOVA
P L A N Y O U R V I S I T:
The White Box, Bankside Hotel, SE1 9JU.
Please note, whilst the exhibition is open to the public, booking is essential. Simply email Gallery Director, Isobel Beauchamp to book your visit.
Isobel@DegreeArt.com/ 07708 251 687.
