East of Eden Artist in Residence, Abigail Brown, and her new exhibition, Celebrating Eden

Abigail Brown is a multidisciplinary artist based in Walthamstow. Through her work she celebrates the wonders of the Animal Kingdom whilst referencing the issues that threaten its existence on our shared planet.

Her work spans many mediums and scales: from fabric to wood, ceramic, paper and metal, with a strong focus on recycling and finding new life for unwanted materials. Recent projects have involved collaborating with fungi to create mycelium sculptures with fruiting mushrooms.

I met Abigail in Sri Lanka this year on eryck’s retreat, and when she told about her new exhibition, i knew she was the perfect choice to be our first Artist in Residence.

The exhibition is called Sri Lanka - Celebrating Eden, and comprises 6 limited edition blind-embossed prints of native wildlife species, carved in lino and hand-printed on Fabriano cotton paper. Each design is a limited edition of 50, each print signed and numbered, measuring aprox 24cm x 16cm, and priced at £40.
They are joined by a group of 8 mixed-media collages, built from hand-cut cardboard elements of plant life, manipulated and layered to create sculptural relief environments that house Sri Lanka’s native wildlife, and painted in a single joyful colour.
In Abigail’s own words:

“In February of this year I joined East of Eden for their yoga retreat in Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka. We met the sweetest people, luxuriated in the warm sun, lush greens, the beach breeze and were guided through carefully thought out yoga classes by our wonderful teacher Eryck Brahmania.
It was my second visit to this beautiful country that bursts with colour, vibrancy and magnificent wildlife, offering endless inspiration for an animal-loving artist!

Our days were called in by peacocks, our yoga classes curiously observed by visiting toque macaques, Malabar pied hornbills, bee-eaters, kingfishers and a myriad other birdlife swooped overhead, Indian Palm Squirrels raced through the treetops and lay in wait by the dinner table to feast on our delicious, lovingly prepared meals when we weren’t watching… and who could blame them?! The food was INCREDIBLE!!!

During our trip I found myself thinking a lot about the threats these animals face to their existence through human interference as we watched sections of jungle around us being cleared for building works, more and more of their natural habitats encroached upon and the noticeable affects it has already had on the local wildlife populations.
This new body of work has been created in direct response to those feelings, to celebrate the wonders of Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna, whilst quietly reflecting upon concerns for their future.

East of Eden’s awesome owner Abby has kindly invited me to be the studio’s first ever Artist in Residence and my residency has officially begun with the installation of these new works: ‘Sri Lanka - Finding Eden’, in the studio’s perfectly decorated cafe space.So pop on over for a class or a coffee and a tasty pastry and soak up the Sri Lankan jungle vibes!!”

All these pieces are now available to purchase through Abigail directly by emailing: abigail@abigail-brown.co.uk, calling: 07940497488. 10% of all sales will go to help the people we stayed with in Sri Lanka, currently dealing with the economic collapse of their country.