Arts

Hope and faith 

The work of two Wivenhoe artists intertwines at a forthcoming exhibition at the University Gallery.

Critically-acclaimed artist Robert Priseman focuses on key moments in the life of renowned artist Francis Bacon, who lived in Wivenhoe in the 1950s, in his exhibition, Francis Bacon Interiors, from 15 November to 15 December.

A Wivenhoe resident, Robert initially made his living as a portrait painter and some of his works are held in the Royal Collection.

However Robert, who studied aesthetics and art theory at Essex from1988-1989, became drawn to man-made spaces devoid of natural light and, in these latest works, aims to create hope, where, at first view, there appears to be none.

Five large-scale paintings meticulously capture rooms at the centre of Francis Bacon’s life. They include his studio in Wivenhoe, empty since his death in 1992, the staircase to the room in the Hotel des Saints-Peres in Paris where his lover, George Dyer, committed suicide and the hospital room in Madrid where he died.

But while Francis Bacon tended to a brutal view of the world in his life, Robert finds beauty and faith in the stark surroundings and invites the viewer to seek out the glimmer of hope.

Christmas is coming!

Students at East 15 will be entertaining older school pupils this Christmas with their new touring shows.

BA Contemporary Theatre students have put together two innovative and fast-paced shows, The Inconsiderate Aberrations of Billy the Kid and Food for Masses. Both are available for touring from 5 December and aimed at older members of the family, from 15 years and upwards.

For more information, and to book the show for your school for just £100, please contact the Box Office, telephone: 020 8508 5983 or e-mail: east15@essex.ac.uk .