The phrase “like two peas in a pod” can often mean the incredible resemblance and similarities between family members.
However, this sentence does not easily apply to the two artist brothers and sisters who opened their first joint exhibition in the south of the island.
Sisters Sarah Brown and Nicola Kinley opened ‘Syzygy: The Art of Two Sisters’ at Artea Gallery and Cafe in Port Erin.
Taking its name from the Greek word ‘syzygia’, which means ‘union of two’ or ‘conjunction’, the exhibition contains the work of two artists who work in styles at odds with each other, as you will find most likely.
Sarah’s work is a model of mathematical and exact symmetry, drawing inspiration from intricate Islamic patterns and Celtic knots, created using a compass ruler and mathematical ratios and formulas to produce a stunning range of patterns and eye-catching and visually dramatic patterns.
They are created after hours of painstaking measuring, tracing and infinitely small adjustments to a fraction of a degree, and contain layers of depth and meaning, born from years of study of traditional and symbolic art.
Across the gallery, Nicola’s work is a wonderful splash of abstract, non-uniform colorscapes. Swirls and circles leaned madly across the canvas, rejoicing in the sheer beauty and wonder that unleashed chaos and unrestrained freedom of creative expression.
The differences between the two artists are there to be appreciated as much as to marvel at.
Nicola said the two sisters were brought in to create the exhibit after their mother, Wendy Hurst, died last year.
“At first I was reluctant to do the show, because we are so different as people and I didn’t know how it would turn out,” Nicola said.
“As artists, we are also so different. Sarah loves rules and shapes, and I love expressing myself completely and trying things out not knowing if it’s going to fit together.
“We are polar opposites in many ways.
“It was Sarah’s idea, originally, and she had to tell me about the idea, but I’m glad she did. Our mother was a former art teacher and had always encouraged a love of the arts in her daughters from an early age.
“I think Sarah wanted the exhibit to be a nod to mum and what she encouraged in us.
“This exhibition is not about selling paintings or anything like that, it’s about connecting with our art and with ourselves, and with the community around us, especially at Artea.
“I’m really happy that it’s there and that our work is up there next to each other.
Artea is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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