A Hundred Worlds : Christina Balit
10th August – 6th September
Private View: 10th August, 630pm
The Gallery at Foyles
Foyles, 5th Floor
107 Charing Cross Rd
London WC2H 0DT
In the 400th year since the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia – which means both ‘no-place’, and ‘any ideal place’ – The Gallery at Foyles presents an exhibition of illustrations by Christina Balit, inspired by mythological worlds.
Using a mix of watercolour, gouache, pencil and gold ink, Christina Balit has illustrated over 20 children’s books by hand. Focusing on myths and legends from around the world, titles include Atlantis, The Legend of a Lost City, Escape from Pompeii, Treasury of Norse Mythology and Zodiac. Twelve of these books are now on display with selected original illustrations in the Gallery at Foyles.
“People also often ask about the content of my work and why I’ve been so drawn to myth and legend. On reflection, it seems inevitable to me that a childhood spent in so many different parts of the Middle East, Greece and the Mediterranean has profoundly affected the images I make. I spent years rambling through ‘ruins’ and extraordinary places of historical significance and whilst the ‘history’ was magnificent, it was always the visual impact of the remains – the carvings and the art – that affected me. I just liked ‘looking’ at it, walking through it, and climbing over it…and of course, when you’re a little person and climbing over ancient boulders, you imagine a hundred worlds.” – Christina Balit
Read more about the artist here.