Exhibition
Friday 3rd - Saturday 18th November
Opening Night: Friday 3rd November 6-8pm
Efrat Merin is an artist working across multiple mediums, including painting, drawing, and filmmaking. Her works utilize mythical elements to challenge dominant power structures, subverting patriarchal power dynamics and celebrating female desires through a queer reinterpretation of mythical narratives. She holds a particular fascination with origin myths, exploring concepts of primordial chaos, narratives of separation and becoming, and themes such as the performativity of the queer body, the fusion of science and magic, and the environmental crisis as an existential state.
Over the past three years, Merin has been developing the sgraffito technique in painting, involving the scratching and removal of parts of the surface to reveal the underlying layer. She employs cold encaustic Cuní Paint, an ancient formula dating back to Greco-Roman antiquity. This technique emphasizes revelation over addition, resembling an archaeological-like process that imbues her paintings with a sense of discovery, reflecting her engagement with historical-futuristic mythology.
Efrat Merin won the Darbyshire Award for Emerging Art 2022. The prize is given annually to a member of the graduating class at Turps Art School run by Turps Banana. The winner was selected by members of the Darbyshire Team along with Jennifer Gilbert from the Jennifer Lauren Gallery. The prize consists of framing and fabrication alongside an exhibition at Darbyshire's London Studio and now here at SVA's John St Gallery in Stroud. See more here
In 2023, Merin had a solo show titled 'Anima Mundi' at Darbyshire Ltd, London, participated in a residency, and held a solo show at van GoghHuis, Zundert. Additionally, she was selected for Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2023.
Opening times Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10am-3pm.
Artists Talk and discussion
Thursday 16th November 7.30pm
Efrat Merin will be talking about some of the themes and working processes in her work. We will also hear more about Turps Art School run by Turps Banana and the Darbyshire Award. Open to all!