Compelling new Chichester Cathedral exhibition Ashes To Fire
Artist Alice Carter set out to create work which, as she says, “teetered between abstraction and realism.”
“I didn't want it to be so abstract that you didn't know what you were going to look at, but I didn't want it to be so realistic that you knew completely straight away.”
For Alice, who is based near Lewes, it is all about drawing the viewer in, encouraging them to look and then to look again and then to reflect – and to do so in the perfect place for reflection, Chichester Cathedral.
Her compelling new exhibition Ashes To Fire runs until Sunday, May 24 in the South Transept (free, donations welcome, recommended £7 per person). The series comprises seven large-scale oil paintings, journeying from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost, offering a painterly meditation on key moments in the Easter cycle.
The compositions trace the emotional arc of the Easter story – from the solemnity of Ash Wednesday to the blazing energy of Pentecost. Through bold colour, layered symbolism and moments of quiet intensity, Alice reflects – and invites us to reflect – on themes of grief, hope and transformation, capturing the journey from ashes to fire in a contemporary visual language.
“The idea is that the longer you remain with the paintings, the more is revealed in terms of words and numbers and objects and symbols. My frustration is that we are bombarded with noise and news all the time. With this I just want to hold people in a moment of reflection. I hope my paintings give people a chance to pause and feel connected to something bigger than themselves.
“I just feel so incredibly lucky to be in Chichester. Chichester Cathedral has a history of acquiring modern art. You've got the John Piper altar piece, which is celebrating its anniversary this year. It was a bit controversial in its time and it's maybe a bit controversial still but I love the fact that they are so outward-looking in Chichester.
“I came up with this idea to illustrate the Easter cycle, and then I went to a charity, the Farmington Institute, and they said that they were on board. Then I had to find a cathedral. Chichester is the closest to home, and Dean Edward was wonderfully enthusiastic, taking it to the board and the board said yes. But the interesting thing is that it wasn't a commission by the cathedral. They weren't telling me what they wanted. Any artist hates being told what to do! But I am so keen that the message should come across.”
And clearly it has done. The exhibition was very quickly extended from the start of April until Sunday, May 24.
“There are legends for the pictures that explain a lot to the symbolism and the Bible references and the liturgy that I was wanting to illustrate. The paintings seem simple but there are so many layers to them, and I hope it is really rewarding.”
The project has been two years in the planning and preparation: “It has taken on a life of its own.”
And in the South Transept, it has found the perfect spot, not least because there is a bench nearby where Alice can sit: “People will sometimes come and sit there and we start chatting. They say that the paintings are very colourful and two lines in, I will say that I am actually the artist! They are then either frightened or they're really interested to ask questions!”
The point is that the exhibition is for anyone of any faith or no faith and everyone of any age, Alice says.
In conjunction with Ashes To Fire, the Cathedral is running a programme of events, including special tours led by the artist. Further details from the Cathedral.