Nunnery Café Exhibition | Will Redgrove

Our first café exhibition of the year is a collection of works by London-based muralist, artist, and educator Will Redgrove. With a distinctly bold and colourful practice, Will’s work revolves around community and art in the public realm, often incorporating elements of nature, symbols, satire, fairy tales, myths, and popular culture.  
He cites classical tattooing, 60s comic books, and mass culture, such as pulp magazines and vintage advertising, as central influences in the development of his distinctive storytelling style. 
Will’s latest series of illustrations exhibited in this show are a personal set of observations, inspired by vintage matchboxes. Political at times and at others more provocative, through them we see the importance of acknowledging the past to visualise and imagine new, more hopeful futures.  
“There’s something I like about the mass produced, throwaway nature of these objects, getting shabby in someone’s pocket. You can really sense the machinery that printed them. They are also a beautiful snapshot into the visual and printing trends of their time – and the match itself is a powerful symbol to represent the spark of an idea or the ignition of dissent. That’s quite a playful idea for me”. 

View the full list of works with prices here.

Lately, Will has become increasingly interested in the intersection of art, mental health, and collective consciousness. He has always gravitated towards working with local and marginalised groups, co-producing artwork as a form of creative activism and attempting to give a voice and platform to others within an increasingly difficult landscape. 
Through co-production and creation with communities, Will speaks to how “public art has the ability to start conversations, decrease stress, develop shared identities, reinforce self-efficacy and improve a sense of belonging. These impacts are more potent with strong creative engagement and collaboration”.

Will has a studio in Bow Arts’ Stratford site. He also works closely with Bow Arts’ Learning Department as an Artist Educator, working collaboratively with schools to deliver creative learning experiences for young people of all ages. 
This is the sixth exhibition in our series of shows in the Nunnery Café, which showcase affordable works of art from Bow Arts artists. All works are for sale and those priced between £100 – £2500 are available to purchase using Own Art. This is a national scheme that allows buyers to spread the cost of purchasing an artwork over 10 monthly instalments, with the benefit of an interest-free loan. 
Find out more about our previous café exhibition artists here.