Georg Wilson’s Folkloric Figures at Berntson Bhattacharjee

London’s Royal College of Art continues to turn out young and talented painters.

A 2022 graduate, Georg Wilson is a shining example, and one Ocula Advisory came across in Berntson Bhattacharjee’s group show, The Red Room at Cromwell Place, London, in May 2022.

Fast forward a year, and the young painter now has her first solo show in London with the gallery. What Mad Pursuit (20 April–20 May 2023) showcases a mix of canvas and panel oil paintings, alongside more intimate drawings weaving ancient and contemporary folkloric customs of English seasons.

Wilson’s show marks the arrival of spring—a turn in season celebrated by the Gaelic traditional festival of Imbolc. Meaning ‘in the belly’, Imbolc is the time of year when nature wakes up and creatures seek to mate, hence Wilson’s depiction of fleshy naked primitives wielding bows and arrows, hunting birds and riding beasts, all under the low light of early spring.

Since its inception in 2020, Berntson Bhattacharjee has been nomadic, showing in different locations without a permanent space. Georg’s show, however, debuts their new London gallery in Fitzrovia. The gallery’s decision to plant its roots in this enclave in central London follows that of other young galleries such as Castor Gallery and indigo+madder last year.

Main image: Georg Wilson, Hunter (2022). Oil on linen blend. 121 x 91 cm. Courtesy Berntson Bhattacharjee Gallery.