“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” - Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species.
Lyndsey Ingram is pleased to present a new body of work by Sarah Graham. Genius Loci was realised in the heart of Kenya, following an immersive three-month stay at Sirocco near Lake Naivasha and the Samburu National Reserve. Graham uprooted to Africa at the beginning of 2025 with her two young daughters and husband, leaving behind the confines and comfort of her London studio to work in the wilderness. In a makeshift studio, she began creating work with what little she had to hand and completely exposed to the elements.
The result is a powerful series of paintings and drawings that marks a significant evolution in Graham’s oeuvre and an important departure from her previous work. Pushing boundaries with her boldest work to date, she ventures into the realms of gesture and abstraction, embracing the power of shape, form and space. As is always the case with her work, this series is rooted in observing the natural world. Graham focuses on the Musa acuminata (banana plant), taking inspiration from the untamed beauty of the Kenyan landscape. The work is a testament to the power of mark-making, bringing the natural world before us with a clear, unorthodox eye. Form comes into being with subtly coloured ink blushes, washes, stains and seepages. Mottled pools puddle and soak into the canvas, drying to make the layers of glossy leaf sheaths. Graphic, calligraphic dashes and delicate striations define the sail-like leaves of the banana plant. Nature requires no further manifesto or explanation. Her pictures are – in essence – about wonder and strange pleasures, engaging the eye and mind.
Lyndsey Ingram is pleased to present a new body of work by Sarah Graham. Genius Loci was realised in the heart of Kenya, following an immersive three-month stay at Sirocco near Lake Naivasha and the Samburu National Reserve. Graham uprooted to Africa at the beginning of 2025 with her two young daughters and husband, leaving behind the confines and comfort of her London studio to work in the wilderness. In a makeshift studio, she began creating work with what little she had to hand and completely exposed to the elements.
The result is a powerful series of paintings and drawings that marks a significant evolution in Graham’s oeuvre and an important departure from her previous work. Pushing boundaries with her boldest work to date, she ventures into the realms of gesture and abstraction, embracing the power of shape, form and space. As is always the case with her work, this series is rooted in observing the natural world. Graham focuses on the Musa acuminata (banana plant), taking inspiration from the untamed beauty of the Kenyan landscape. The work is a testament to the power of mark-making, bringing the natural world before us with a clear, unorthodox eye. Form comes into being with subtly coloured ink blushes, washes, stains and seepages. Mottled pools puddle and soak into the canvas, drying to make the layers of glossy leaf sheaths. Graphic, calligraphic dashes and delicate striations define the sail-like leaves of the banana plant. Nature requires no further manifesto or explanation. Her pictures are – in essence – about wonder and strange pleasures, engaging the eye and mind.
