andante
curated by Jenn Ellis
3rd - 20th July 2024
St Cyprians Church, London, NW1 6AX
Mon - Fri, 11am - 5pm, Sat 20th July, 11am - 5pm
View the catalogue of works here

To encounter Beatrice Hasell-McCosh’s work is to step into a multi-sensory picturesque world of poetry, nature and song. The paintings and watercolours, defying their two-dimensional bases, bend, fold and flourish with life, swaying to the rhythms of Hasell-McCosh’s strokes. Apsara Studio is delighted to present ‘andante’, a major solo show curated by Jenn Ellis at St. Cyprian’s Church, Marylebone, London. With an emphasis on harmony and tempo, ‘andante’ invites us to discover new paintings within the form of a bespoke installation that responds to the neo-gothic interiors of the site. A Graduate from the Royal Drawing School with a background in English and Classics, Hasell-McCosh collects sources of inspiration from music to set design, comics, 1950s adverts, Chagall’s stained glass, poetry, and tapestries. In her first solo exhibition since her major Garden Museum presentation, ‘andante’ is a nuanced encounter around the endless cyclicality of the natural world.

Both painterly and scientific, refined yet rough, delineated yet abstract, Hasell-McCosh’s works conjure an essence of movement, that sense of ‘rustle’, ‘bristle’ or sway. In their vibrancy, they both meet the natural world’s delicate essence and reveal components, elements and exchanges that only a keen observer would somehow note. Hasell-McCosh’s paintings are the result of time and deep familiarity; repeated encounters with the world of plants in all their guises so as to know their names and feel their changes – like close friends, or family. Steeped in the world of botany yet drawing inspiration from various sources, Hasell-McCosh’s oeuvre is a pluralistic masterpiece that oscillates between assiduous narration and elementary feeling. Indeed, deep observation of Hasell-McCosh’s paintings often feels as if there are multiple worlds, one layered atop the other, overlapping with senses of survival, care and tender play.

Seeking organic truths rather than constructed perfection, Hasell-McCosh is influenced by the Japanese idea of Kintsugi. Finding beauty in imperfection, her works bring us closer to the natural world as well as that of our own varying humanity. Through the study and observation of naturalistic gardens, Hasell-McCosh assumes a role of profound engagement with the environment; indeed, each painting is based on a combination of instinct and memory, what has been seen and recorded in a drawing giving way to mnemonic recollection and feeling. Swathes of short-flowering annuals overlap, embracing the beauty of impermanence – a duality of existence. A duality that also exists in her sources of inspiration; the public natural world around her and the private space of her home in Cumbria. Growing up, she was surrounded by a garden ‘constructed’ by her mother and her extraordinary knowledge. Built with time, care and creativity, Hasell-McCosh channels its continuous temporality, creating a reflection of the inner and outer worlds: the spaces we pass through and those intimate places we inhabit and grow with.

Each painting balances a meditative gesturality with a rooting in our everyday culture. Through Hasell-McCosh’s titles, she introduces a cheeky sense of play and referentiality. ‘CRASH, BANG, WALLOP’ (2024), for example, nods to Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids, a nod that is further carried forward by choosing a colour palette from the cartoons. Another piece, ‘Beautiful and Useful’ (2024), rephrases William Morris’ famous expression, while ‘Millions Of Dollars And Countless Jobs’ (2023) is a quotation from a Miranda Priestly speech in The Devil Wears Prada. Hasell-McCosh is also interested in the double action of lure and convey; how works or associations with beauty or prettiness can in fact prompt thought or reflection on deeper and more sinister topics ranging from feminism to safety. Intentional and intriguing, the titles create a bridging point between the worlds of visual meditation and wider observations around the actualities of everyday life.

Set in the architectural gem that is St Cyprian’s Church, ‘andante’ is conceived as a multi-layered encounter and moment to step into, away from the noise of the quotidian. Located in a place of active worship, the works sing to the site’s exploration of cyclicity, bridging a connection between the natural and spiritual worlds. The diptych paintings, such as ‘Dead or Alive’ (2023) and ‘That’s the Tea’ (2023), also cast a further nod to altar pieces, in particular the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert van Eyck and Jan van Eyck. With an emphasis on creating visual dialogue and harmony with the church’s volumes and architectural details, each of the paintings stand within the space, off the ground, as free-standing windows into another universe. Drawing inspiration from studio easel display systems and the modernist display stands in Philip Johnson’s The Glass House, each painting provides a distinct point of breath and overlap.

Ultimately, ‘andante’ is a change of pace, an invitation to take a walk through Hasell-McCosh’s visual garden and reflect on the notes of imperfection, connection, cultural cues and harmony; the various elements that make up our cyclical and oscillatory natural worlds.

-Jenn Ellis, July 2024

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