Mosaic: a living Art. An Anglo-Italian celebration

Mosaic is a medium of intrinsic and immediate appeal. This exhibition exploits one aspect of the art above all others - that of self expression.

Many of us are familiar with the mosaic floors of the Greco/Roman period, the walls and cupolas of the Byzantine era, and even the interiors and thresholds of Victorian times - yet only a few of us are aware of the vibrant and exciting exploration by artists who are using the medium, freed from architecture, as a vehicle of contemporary expression. These mosaics play an equally impressive and memorable role but on an intimate rather than a massive scale.

The aim of this exhibition is to shed light on the diverse nature of this exploration. From the birth of the idea - which may have played around in the mind for minutes, months or years - through to the design - which may be only partially developed - the mosaic is created, tessera by tessera, piece by piece, by the artist, an interdependence of mind and hand, mind and material.

For each artist, the creation of the mosaic is a unique event. Many things come into play; the material and its qualities - the size of the tesserae, their position, their direction. Sometimes the outcome calls for a great struggle; sometimes it flows with great facility. Sometimes it proceeds with a nod and even a wink at the artisans of the past. It is a rare correspondence and is not predetermined.

The outcome is diverse and infinite, an intimate expression through subtle juxtaposition of the material, a monumental statement through the size and strength of the material, a compelling and lively surface through play of light on angled pieces or plastic form. What remains constant throughout, however, is the artist/material dialogue.

A smaller exhibition of mosaic works examines the context out of which the present artists work. Special emphasis has been put on 20th century developments to show the emergent enquiry into the medium over the last 80 or 50 years.

The artists are either Italian or English, or live and work in these respective countries. Each has chosen to carry on and enhance the dialogue begun almost 2000 years ago for England when the Romans introduced mosaic to these shores. Visitors may perceive cross-cultural exchanges and differences developed over the ensuing years.

Above all the exhibition celebrates the mosaic medium. Fragments of stone, paper, glass, gold and pebble join and juxtapose to make surfaces to muse over and in which to delight.

Elaine M. Goodwin