MUDLARKS II DAN ROACH & REBECCA SITAR 24th June to 24th July 2022 Mudlarks II features recent paintings by the artists Dan Roach and Rebecca Sitar following a two year collaborative project reflecting on the poignancy of lost objects. Prompted by observations of ‘things’ in the world around them, the artists share a particular kind of pictorial language, where subtle forms of semi-abstraction signal the emergence of something lost, abandoned or obscured by the passage of time. Alighting on the theme of ‘mudlarking’, a term used to describe the action of digging, searching or playing in muddy ground, Roach and Sitar explore conceptual and poetic resonances between mudlarks’ wanderings and their respective painting practices. Evocative of experiences unearthed from memories as well as spaces, the paintings in this exhibition address the psychological and metaphorical retrieval of ‘long-buried objects’, where mining for the mislaid brings forgotten things to the surface, reimagined, reconfigured and gently seen anew. “Dan Roach and Rebecca Sitar are artists who wander these visual edge lands; mudlarks seeking treasure, relishing mystery and wonder, teasing with familiarity yet resisting the known. Their works are maps of these shimmering, shifting, sometimes iridescent spaces. Like mudflats, these colour-field surfaces absorb our gaze, often blurring spaces on the edge of vision, sucking us in and holding us suspended in a moment wonder.” – Richard Davey Mudarks II is a touring exhibition originally shown at the Eagle Gallery EMH Arts, Cabinet Room, London, in December 2021. The exhibition at Oceans Apart brings together previously shown work with new paintings made especially for this iteration. To accompany the exhibition there is a 42 page catalogue publication which includes seminal works, a forward by Rebecca Sitar and an essay by art writer and curator Richard Davey – please contact rsitar.art@gmail.com or enquire at the gallery for more details. ________________________________________________________________________ MUDLARKS II opens with a PV on Friday 24th June (6-9pm) and continues to Sunday 24th July, 12-4pm daily by appointment only - please email oceansapartgallery@gmail.com. BIOGRAPHIES DAN ROACH Dan Roach (b. 1974, Barrow in Furness, UK) is a painter and printmaker based in Worcestershire. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the University of Worcester in 2009 and an MA in Fine Art from the University of Gloucester in 2011. He is represented by Emma Hill, Eagle Gallery / EMH Arts, London, and is a Technical Lecturer at University of Worcester School of Art. Roach has exhibited throughout the UK and in Europe. Selected group exhibitions include; A Hand Stuffed Mattress (2019) Terrace Gallery, London; Counterpoints (2017), So We Beat On (2016), WHITEOUT (2015), Wanderer's Field (2013) at Eagle Gallery / EMH Arts, London; Summer Mix (2015) Turps Gallery, London; The Discipline of Painting (2013) Harrington Mill, Nottingham; Without an Edge There Is No Middle (2013) Pluspace Gallery, Coventry. His most recent solo exhibition Cloud Chamber took place at Eagle Gallery / EMH Arts, London, in 2018. www.danroach.co.uk @_danroach_ REBECCA SITAR Rebecca Sitar (b. 1969, Blackburn, UK) is an artist based in Manchester. She graduated with BA (Hons) in Fine Art Painting from Winchester School of Art in 1991 and completed an MFA at Manchester School of Art in 1992. She is represented by Emma Hill, Eagle Gallery / EMH Arts, London, and is a Lecturer in Fine Art at University of Bolton. Sitar has exhibited across the UK and Europe. Recent selected group exhibitions include; Drawn In (2022) Turnpike Gallery, Leigh; Dance First Think Later (2020) General Practice, Lincoln; Fully Awake 5.6 (2019) Freelands Foundation, London; Tracer Wedge (2018) P.S. Mirabel, Manchester; John Moores Painting Prize (2014) Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Other notable exhibitions include Beyond the Endgame: Abstract Painting in Manchester (2003) Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester; Beginnings: Times of our Lives (2000) Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; Slow Burn: Meaning & Vision in Contemporary British Abstract Painting (1998) Mead Gallery, University of Warwick (touring). Her solo exhibitions include; Present & Elsewhere II (2007), Hinterland (2004), Ritual (2001) at Eagle Gallery / EMH Arts, London; Present & Elsewhere I (2006) Galerija Karas, Zagreb; Mind Breaths (2000) Turnpike Gallery, Leigh; Lightness & Weight (1996) Castlefield Gallery, Manchester. Sitar’s work is held in various collections including Deutsche Bank AG, London; DLA, London; and Manchester Art Gallery. www.rebeccasitar.com @rebeccasitarart