Lines of Enquiry

Paul Bartholomew and Judith Alder present dual exhibitions at BN9 Studio and The Atrium, Marine Workshops, Newhaven, united under the title Lines of Enquiry. Their work initially seems unconnected: Bartholomew explores colour and geometry, while Alder works mainly in monochrome with an organic aesthetic. However, both practices are rooted in academic and philosophical enquiry, first expressed through drawing. Paul Bartholomew has been creating and exhibiting work across Sussex and the South East for more than 25 years. From a distinctly contemporary perspective, his practice celebrates historic, spiritual and geometric traditions in art across cultures. Alongside works on paper and canvas, he has produced commissioned wall paintings for educational and community settings and large-scale outdoor installations. He often works in series; his Meditation on The Divisions of a Square, comprising more than 60 paintings, was installed at Towner Art Gallery as part of the East Sussex Open. Judith Alder has exhibited widely for more than 25 years in settings ranging from galleries, museums, universities and historic sites to a shopping centre, billboard and an allotment. Inspired by a lifelong interest in science, nature and humanity’s place in the wider world, she creates labour-intensive drawings that evolve through process and originate from her studies of the natural sciences to explore where we come from and what we are made of. Recent exhibitions include solo shows in Birmingham, Eastbourne and Brighton in 2023–24, the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2023, the ING Discerning Eye 2023 and numerous group exhibitions. Her work is currently longlisted for The Artists Prize 2026. For Lines of Enquiry, in addition to works on canvas and paper, Paul will also premiere Field of Dreams, an installation of more than 600 handmade, hand-painted stellated dodecahedrons while Judith presents More Than Matter, drawings from her new series of large-scale, semi-abstract drawings of the human figure. She will also curate a display of small, wall-hung drawings from her Once In A Universe, Signs of Life, and String Theory series, which underpin her new work.