This is one of the best painting exhibitions you'll see this year.
The show “Uplift”, that opened on July the 5th, is a mesmerising display of mixed-media textile hangings, large-scale oil paintings, collages, drawings, and playful sculptures made from plaster, metal, and papier-mâché. The exhibition showcases the ever-evolving creativity of Caroline Hands. Caroline has been creating art her entire life. From a young age, her talent was recognised by the painter Augustus John in an art competition.
Indomitable and passionate, and always ahead of her time, Caroline directed cultural festivals in Herefordshire that featured dance, music, performances, and discussions on environmental themes.
She has travelled extensively across Asia, particularly China, where she immersed herself in local communities while creating art. When given the choice of where to stay, she opted to live with farmers rather than in art institutions. Her work was later featured in a significant solo exhibition in Beijing.
Now, Caroline has taken over Woolwich Works—including the gallery space upstairs, the patio/courtyard, and the café lounge—as the first Artist in Residence, presenting a major retrospective.
"When asked to describe my art I said: Its the philosophy of the moment, and it felt like really fitted."
Caroline paints from experience and memory, deeply inspired by ancestral cultures and colours. Dance and rhythm are at the core of her artistic inspiration, which is evident in her monumental fabric collages. These works combine a variety of textiles collected from around the world during her travels. She has also worked with community centres across South London, leaving murals and numerous artworks in her wake. Caroline has facilitated workshops to create large wall hangings alongside children, adults, and elderly families from diverse ethnic communities. She has always been hands-on, making art that truly touches and transforms people’s lives.
"It's the way I share a dance and my love."
This is why her paintings resonate so deeply—they connect with our dreams.
Image Copyright: Sisette Zappone
From her early naturalistic paintings in the café, we see irresistible, joyful flowers and greenery infused with light. Drawings of dancers and figures emerge in swirling energy, alongside totems and lovers. A mystical forest, with floating flowers like fairies, seems to gaze back at the viewer.
The paintings displayed upstairs in the gallery reveal more complex narratives. Dreamscapes rich with knights, horses, and birds from distant lands and myths. A statuesque, quirky lady with amusing shoes, and four of her finest blue monotype prints, which I hope the Tate will acquire one day—they are truly superb. Caroline is the epitome of a mixed-media artist, practicing this long before the term was coined.
"My Paintings are about: energy ,the moment and beyond."
Image Copyright: Caroline Hands
This mighty exhibition was a wonderful chance to celebrate her career and, most importantly, to get a taste of what this force of nature has planned for the future.
"My best paintings have yet to come..."
I believe her.
Find out more about Caroline Hand's lifelong work here: https://www.carolinehands.art/
This report is entirely independent and the views expressed here are ours. Other views are available in other publications by other writers. x