Melissa Kime | Gramercy Park Studios | 2024

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Press Release

My friends Icarus and the wind

EXHIBITION DATES: Thursday 10 October - Friday 15 November 2024

EXHIBITION HOURS: Monday – Friday 10am-5pm

ADDRESS: Gramercy Park Studios, 25 Great Pulteney Street, Soho, London W1F 9ND

CHARLIE SMITH LONDON Presents Melissa Kime at Gramercy Park Studios, Soho.

CHARLIE SMITH LONDON is delighted to announce the exhibition of British artist Melissa Kime at Gramercy Park Studios in Soho, London.

Renowned for her distinctive, folk-inspired paintings, Kime invites viewers into a dreamlike exploration of narratives drawn from mythology, children’s literature, and her everyday experiences. Her work blurs the lines between reality and imagination, weaving together influences from timeless British folktales and classical myths. The story of Icarus, with its themes of ambition, freedom, and tragic failure, resonates profoundly throughout her oeuvre.

Kime frequently references the work of those who document the cyclical year, much like Medieval artists and craftspeople. A recent visit to Zalipie, a small rural village in southeastern Poland, captivated her with its beautifully painted cottages, which inspired her piece ‘I wish I could be a fox - you don’t really she said, you’d be out fighting, so I let it eat me instead.’

Foxes play a prominent role in this collection. Over the past year, Kime has dedicated herself to caring for urban foxes, helping to rehabilitate them when needed. This experience has fostered a deep bond of trust between her and the animals. Kime's fascination with children’s literature also informs her work, where the fox often appears as a trickster. However, she seeks to explore a more profound connection, emphasizing the purity of the relationship between humans and animals, free from preconceptions.

Join us for this fascinating exhibition that celebrates the interplay of myth, nature, and personal experience.

About Melissa Kime: Melissa Kime graduated with an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London in 2015, following a Post Graduate Diploma in Drawing at the Royal Drawing School, London and BA (Hons) Fine Art at University College Falmouth.

She has exhibited regularly since then, including CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, Soho Revue, Saatchi Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, Christies, The Mall Galleries, the ICA and Windsor Castle.

Kime’s work is placed in prominent collections globally including HRH Princess Lamia Al Saud, The Royal Collection, Sammlung Sander and Susan & Michael Hort.

The event will take place at Gramercy Park Studios, 25 Great Pulteney Street, Soho, London W1F 9ND. Available to view Monday-Friday 10am-5pm. For further information please contact direct@charliesmithlondon.com. Follow @CHARLIESMITHIdn

Please email direct@charliesmithlondon.com for artwork list

Biography

MELISSA KIME
Born: 1989
EDUCATION
2013-2015	MA Painting	Royal College of Art, London
2011-2012	Post Graduate Diploma in Drawing	Royal Drawing School, London
2008-2011	BA (Hons) Fine Art	University College Falmouth, Falmouth
ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2019	Light as a feather stiff as a board	C&C Gallery, London
2018	Can I just have one more Moondance?	Gallery 286, London
2016	Oh! I think I just lost my Appetite	Gallery 286, London
2016	Do you think I’m Pretty?	Chalton Gallery, London
2015	Kill Your Darlings Nicely	92 Piccadilly, London
2013	Welcome to London	St James Park, London
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021	Tilted	Purslane Art (online show)
2020	Project Papyrophilia	CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London
2020	The End	Chalton Gallery, London
2019	RA Summer Show	Royal Academy, London
2019	Eternal Eclipse Of The Heart	Coombs Contemporary at Watson Farley & Williams, London
2019	Creekside Open	APT Studios, London
2018	Open call	Delphian Gallery, London
2018	Temporary Realities	Karen Huber Gallery, Mexico City
2018	Frivolous Convulsions	Turf Projects, London
2017	RCA Secrets	Royal College of Art, London
2017	Clerkenwell Design Week	Arebyte Studios, London
2017	Group Show	Proyecto Medellin, Mexico City
2017	Arebyte Laser Group Show	Arebyte Laser gallery, London
2016	Auction & Exhibition of British Art	Morton Casa De Subastas, Mexico City
2016	That I am now and So it Is	Chalton Gallery, London
2016	UniVulva	Bow Arts, London
2016	Master Drawing Exhibition for The Royal Drawing School	Christies, New York
2015	Auction & Exhibition of British Art	Morton Casa De Subastas, Mexico City
2015	The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition	The Mall Galleries, London
2015	CPG Annual Open 2015	CPG London, London
2015	Two-Hundred Acres	The Pump House Gallery, London
2015	Show RCA 2015	The Royal College of Art, London
2015	Bloomberg New Contemporaries	Newlyn Art Gallery & Exchange Penzance, Cornwall
2015	WIP Show Open House	Royal College of Art, London
2015	RCA Secrets 2015	Royal College of Art, London
2014	We Could Not Agree	Q-Park, London
2014	Bloomberg New Contemporaries	The World Museum, Liverpool ICA, London
2014	The Princes Drawing School Alumni Exhibition	Buckingham Palace, London
2014	RCA Secrets 2014	Royal College of Art, London
2014	The Hidden City	Theatre Delicatessen, London
2014	WIP Show	Royal College of Art, London
2013	Sketch 2013	Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth Black Swan Arts, Frome
2012	Open Studies	The Tea Building, London
2012	Royal Drawing School Drawing Exhibition	Windsor Castle, Windsor
2011	Breakfast	Brick Lane, London
AWARDS
2019	RA Sumer Show - Recipient of the Arts Club Award	Royal Academy, London