Eyes and Ears

Founded by a fellow artist from Brighton University, Maria Awantura began a series of live art and music events in the grassroots music scene in Brighton to engage their synethesia with their art practice more, having put together 2 events before we even gave it a name, both being fundraisers for Charity. These events allow painters to create art alongside a live music performance by some of our favourite local alt-rock bands, with a fine artist being paired with each band. Ryan Poulter was brought onto the team and helped give these events a name and a look with her poster designs, giving it the name ‘Eyes and Ears’. Since the conception of this name the event turned into a collaborative project that brought on many artists and musicians, allowing for a way for these two mediums of art to interact. As a fine artist I found this a brilliant oppourtunity to engage in some kind of performative aspect of art- although i am typically a very tedious and focused painter, working best in a more reclusive environment, these events were a great oppourtunity to come out of my shell and engage the music I love with my art.

The first event under this name was on Janurary the 29th 2025, were I painted for the band Ragdoll, in the grassroots venue Greendoor Store. The event was a massive succsess, attratcting a large and energetic crowd, with performances from Sick Days (painted by Hayley Paterson), Ragdoll, Bones ate Arfa (painted by Maria Awantura) and Goetia (painted by Ryan Poulter).

The second event was on the 26th of march, in Greendoor’s sister venue Rossi Bar. Due to restricitons at this venue, we could not paint, but this just allowed for a different approach for us fine artists- I drew for Saftey Jacket’s set. The intimate size of this venue made the event something quite special, as the crowd was closer to each other and the bands, the music venue being in the bar’s basement. The performances were by Modessa (drawn by Joe Zillwood), a one man performance by George from Saftey Jacket, and BABYTEETH (drawn by Maria Awantura).

The third event under this name was also our last as university students, being partially a farewell event to Maria as they left for Poland, on the 26th July 2025. Back in Greendoor Store now, I painted for FAT LLOYD, and I beleive this painting was were I really started to find my style with these events, the peice itself being inspired by my painting ‘INTROSPECTION’ that i had finished a few months before. Maria and Ryan put together our largest lineup yet for these events, consisting of FAT LLOYD, Crowd (painted by Joe Zillwood), Saftey Jacket (painted by Maria Awantura), Bones ate Arfa (painted by Ryan Poulter) and Ragdoll (painted by Maria Awantura).

This event was also done under our new collective name of the ‘Electrik Toothbrushes’. If you follow that link, you will be able to follow us to see any updates on more events in the future. We found our place in the brighton music scene, and getting to put on these events allowed us to express ourselves artistically both through the music we adore and in our modes of creating. Finding oppourtunities to intergrate myself as an artist into alternative and grassroots scenes such as this is a dream.

If you are interested in these events or our collective as an artist yourself, we welcome you to get in contact with us at electriktoothbrushes@gmail.com

Brighton Graduate show 2025

As a part of our final examination at the University of Brighton, every student gets to exhibit at the graduate show at the end of our third year. As a Fine Art Painting student I got to be a part of the painting exhibiton, exhibting alongside my incredibly talented year group. The exhibition is located in the grand parade campus, and for this week of the year the entire building, alongside the Edward Street building, is packed full of all the art all students have put their blood sweat and tears into.

I was given the oppourtunity to have four walls for my exhbit by our art technician James, since i had produced so much work in my final year. I was able to exhibit more than i ever expected, and it was a brilliant experience, both in the weeks of preparation were we had to turn our studio spaces into exhibition space, and in the actual show week, were i got the oppourtunity to hear so much lovely feedback about my art and kick start my career both as an exhibitior and a seller.

My exhbit explored the relation between man and nature through romanticist-inspired landscapes that presented eerie scenes were the beauty of nature is both highlighted and distrubed by the subtle presence of human manipulation and industrialisation on these envrionments. Inspired by my own relationship with nature, this body of work was underlined by an unspoken narrartive of my experiences within each scene presented. Alongside these landscapes though was also my largest painting ‘INTROSPECTION’, which purposefully contrasts the very representational landscapes with an entirely imagined, and unplanned, painting of this surreal, undefined ‘gorey’ visual. Whilst the landscapes exlore more melancholic feelings, INTROSPECTION served as more of a positive conclusion to the questions raised by the other paintings. It is, to me, a celebration of the self as an organic form. I wanted to subvert the typical repulsion to such imagery with a painting that intreges the spectator with its mesmerising patterns and the satisfying effect oil paints have with ‘gorey’ imagery. As my freind and fellow artist Joe Zillwood described, this unique style I developed could be described as ‘entropic viscera’. The gorey nature of this peice was complimented by a few other paintings of animal corpses that were included in my space, helping to give an ‘honest’ representation of what natural envrionments entail, and to destigmatise the corpse body as, to me, painting these subjects lends an appreciation of their form.

Not everyone is a fan of art of internal imagery and dead animals- which is fair enough- but i found my art appealed to more than I expected. I have been overjoyed by the feedback ive gotten from this body of work and im excited to develop my art from this period.

Riposte Queer Art Techno Rave

My first ever time exhibiting my art to the public was as a part of the Riposte Queer Art Techno Raves taking place in London. After finding out about these events from a fellow artist who also had exhibited there, Amber Lucia , I new I wanted to do it. As the name implies, these events were an oppourtunity for creative queer people to get together and enjoy a night of techno music, art from a wide range of mediums, and the freedom to express ourselves unapologetically in an environemnt curated for LGBT+ people. The amount of incredible performers, musicians, fine artists and costumes i have seen at these events is really something, and id reccomend it for any LGBT+ in the london area who like a good rave. I’ll also note that i’ve never felt safer at a rave then i did at these events, and the environment is full of energy and never, ever, boring.

After a succsesful application I got to exhibit three of my paintings at one of their events at Electrowerkz, on the 17th Feburary 2023. This was a big learning oppourtnity for me as my first exhibit- especially being in such an unconventional setting. I got to exhibit the paintings in the stairwell, lit by red lighting that complimented the very red paintings.

My second exhibiton at Riposte was on the 1st December 2023, at Electrowerkz again. I exhibited two paintings, this time hung back to back on a glass window with a spotlight leading straight to them.

Being an artist who makes art that may not appeal to all - at the time my paintings really leaned into surreal horror - finding alternative spaces like this gave me the perfect audience of like minded people to appreciate my art. I am forever greatful for this oppourtunity to be an artist in a scene that speaks to me so much. I have attended other events since, and they have all been brilliant.