NINA ROYLE’S ‘AND SO, THE MAGPIES MULTIPLY’ EXHIBITION OPENS THE SEASON AT KESTLE BARTON GALLERY NEAR HELSTON ON SATURDAY 23 MARCH 2024. IT RUNS UNTIL SUNDAY 9 JUNE 2024. FIND OUT MORE BELOW…
We all use mirrors. But how often do you see the humble mirror serve as the basis for an art exhibition? Not often. But if you head to the ancient Cornish farmstead of Kestle Barton near Helston between Saturday 23 March and Sunday 9 June 2024, you’ll get a chance to reflect on an exhibition that is all about mirrors and other artistic pieces.
West Cornwall-based artist Nina Royle is behind the exhibition, entitled ‘And so, the Magpies Multiply’. It features beautiful bronze mirrors alongside ceramics, pantings and fabric works. The artist says it’s ‘deeply inspired’ by Cornwall and is ‘filled with symbolism steeped in mythology and cultural associations’.
A Kestle Barton spokesperson says: “Working with her father, Nina has created sheet brass and bronze mirrors stemming from her interest in the role mirrors play in paintings.” The spokesperson says that ‘one such inspiration’ for the artist’s work is in the nearby village of Breage, which has a painting on a wall in the church of ‘a mermaid holding a mirror’.
“Another example is the St Keverne bronze mirror found in a field close to Kestle Barton itself,” adds the spokesperson. “Nina had seen images of it on the British Museum website beforehand but hadn’t registered that it was from Cornwall and so it connects the exhibition perfectly to the gallery space.”
Kestle Barton is situated above the pretty Helford River not far from either Helston or Falmouth. One of its barns became a gallery back in 2010 after the owners undertook an award-winning conservation and conversion project. This exhibition is the latest in a rolling programme of exhibitions and arts events and exhibitions at the venue.