We are proud to introduce Virginia Guest, one of the winners of our Bloom 2026 Graduate Show. Selected for her strength of material exploration and the intentionality embedded within her process, Virginia has been awarded 12 months of gallery representation, alongside a fully supported solo exhibition at our gallery.

‘My process begins with textured collages, which are distilled from drawings and photographs. These simplified compositions are pressed into clay forms, onto which I layer oxides, underglazes and glazes, brushing and rubbing them back repeatedly.

These abstracted references are translated into oil paintings. Built through multiple layers, the surface becomes both foundation and veil, partially erased, disrupted, but never totally removed. I intentionally break the surface with fine metal tools, scraping and revealing colour and texture beneath, echoing natural processes of erosion, exposure, and transformation. The tension between application and removal is essential, preserving the physicality of oil paint while allowing the substrate to remain active and visible.

Each group of artworks is an extension of the thinking behind the individual work, a register of the history of its making. Across mediums, recurring compositional threads provide a connective language, enhancing the dialogue between works. The grouping and curation of the pieces is deliberate, extending the conceptual framework of my practice.’

View the artists catalogue: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFjJzvVsq_BehgO5ffbpTEmnMjQV0z06/view?usp=sharing