MERMAIDS
gabriella marsh

2nd - 17th november, 2024

MERMAIDS was an watercolour series depicting women swimming in Beckenham Place park and a meditation on the ritual of wild swimming, by Lewisham-local and multi-disciplinary artist, Gabriella Marsh.

Marsh explains, “When I was painting these women, I was thinking how strange it is to try to put a moment of stillness on a piece of paper. I’m obsessed with time: am I using it wisely? Am I wasting it? Working as an animator means I might spend a week creating a film that will last 15 seconds. It’s a mad endeavour. When I paint I allow myself that ‘self-indulgent’ time and don’t worry about the waste of precious hours I could be doing something ‘productive’. This mirrors the feeling I have when I swim. Swimming outdoors, in nature, is not a high impact activity, it’s not the gym, we don’t do it to optimise our bodies. A swim is overcoming the fear of the cold, it’s looking up at the trees from a new angle, it’s taking in the sky, it’s acknowledging that I’m allowed this time to contemplate. There’s something magical about it and everyone at the lake knows, we’re here for the same reason, it’s a deeply personal nourishment but we’re connected. You never regret a swim.”