Walking Ahead (Oak Coat Under Oak Tree)

Phill Hopkins is a British contemporary artist with a multifaceted practice. Predominantly a painter, he also embraces drawing, photography, and sculpture, using both traditional and unconventional media to create works that resonate on multiple levels. In this online exhibition, Walking Ahead - Works on Paper, we are delighted to present a selection of works on paper from his Walking Ahead series which he began during lockdown. Working from photographs of his wife walking ahead in the landscape, these pieces invite varied interpretations.

For Phill, they serve as meditative reflections: the act of walking becomes a ritual of contemplation, a means of processing the world while continually moving forward. In this narrative, the figure ahead might symbolically represent the artist himself, moving through life.

He has represented Britain at the Nanjing International Art Festival in China and exhibited at institutions including the Imperial War Museum, Kettles Yard, the Hungarian Museum of Photography, Whitworth, Leeds Art Gallery, and The Henry Moore Institute. His work is held in private collections across the UK, Europe, the USA, China, and Australia, as well as in numerous public collections, affirming its enduring global appeal.