This October, The Paragon Gallery presents a compelling group exhibition exploring the power of narrative in art. Bringing together an exciting selection of painters, sculptors and printmakers, the show examines how stories are constructed, remembered and reimagined through visual language. From intimate personal reflections to broader cultural and mythic themes, the exhibition invites audiences to engage with works that blur the boundaries between fiction, memory and lived experience.

Narrative in art extends beyond representation alone; it is found in the emotional atmosphere of a painting, the cultural references embedded within imagery, and the personal histories carried through material and form. Narrative invites viewers to look beyond surface aesthetics and engage more deeply with meaning, memory and human connection. Through works that range from intimate and reflective to bold and socially resonant, the exhibition celebrates art not simply as something to observe, but as an ongoing conversation between artist, artwork and audience.

The exhibition will include resident artists; sculptor, Antonio Lopez Reche and mixed media artist, Corine Ko, alongside guest artists; painter, Ruth Mulvie, master draftswomen, Anneka Reay, and printmakers, Tim Southall and Jaco Putker, among others.

Exhibition Dates: Saturday 14 November - Saturday 12 December

Antonio Lopez Reche, Stargazer, Bronze Sculpture, Edition of 12

For Antonio Lopez Reche, narrative emerges through the expressive power of sculpture itself. His bronze figures draw on mythology, symbolism and the human condition to suggest moments of transformation, conflict and reflection. Rather than presenting fixed stories, Reche creates works that encourage interpretation, allowing gesture, texture and form to become vehicles for emotional and psychological narrative. His sculptures invite viewers to construct their own meanings, reinforcing the enduring role of storytelling within figurative art.

Narrative is equally central to the work of Corine Ko, whose dreamlike mixed media compositions explore memory, identity and emotion through layered imagery and symbolism. Her delicate figures and atmospheric surfaces evoke fragments of personal histories and imagined worlds, creating works that feel both intimate and universal. Through subtle visual cues and poetic ambiguity, Ko’s practice reflects how narrative in art can communicate emotional experience beyond words, drawing viewers into quiet acts of reflection and connection.

Corine Ko, Just One Love, Mixed Media on Canvas

Ruth Mulvie’s vibrant paintings are populated by characters, places and objects that seem to belong to a world somewhere between memory and fantasy. Drawing inspiration from old photographs, holidays, leisure and the rituals of everyday life, she creates dreamlike scenes filled with unexpected details and subtle narrative clues. Her vivid use of colour heightens the sense of escapism, while familiar imagery is reimagined to create something both nostalgic and surreal. Each painting feels like a moment from a much larger story, inviting the viewer to wonder about the characters, their relationships and what might unfold beyond the edges of the canvas.

Ruth Mulvie, The Lovers, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas

Narrative lies at the heart of Tim Southall’s practice. His figurative etchings and silkscreen prints draw on shared history, childhood memories and everyday observations, transforming them into imaginative and often unexpected scenarios. Southall plays with metaphor, scale and perspective, creating images that may initially appear simple but reveal increasingly complex stories on closer inspection. His characters, animals and landscapes seem caught in moments of possibility, leaving the viewer to imagine what has happened before and what might happen next. This open-ended quality makes his work a particularly engaging exploration of storytelling through print.

Tim Southall, Enlightenment, Signed Limited Edition Etching

Anneka Reay’s highly detailed drawings invite the viewer into intimate, contemplative worlds where nature, geometry and human emotion intersect. Working primarily in fineliner and pencil, Reay explores the relationship between separation and connection, using intricate patterns inspired by the mathematical structures found in plants and flowers. Her work encourages a slower kind of looking, with each detail offering a potential clue to a larger story. In the context of narrative in art, her drawings can be read as quiet, introspective journeys; stories that are less about a defined beginning or end and more about the universal search for belonging and connection.

Anneka Reay, One Thousand Cranes, Pen and Pencil on Paper

Jaco Putker creates intricate monochromatic prints that exist somewhere between reality, memory and the subconscious. Combining traditional printmaking techniques with contemporary imagery, his works are playful and surreal, often containing unexpected juxtapositions and enigmatic details. Everyday experiences become starting points for more mysterious visual narratives, encouraging the viewer to question what is real and what belongs to the imagination. Putker’s work demonstrates how a narrative does not necessarily need to tell a linear story; instead, it can evoke a mood, memory or psychological journey, allowing each viewer to construct their own interpretation.

Jaco Putker, Transient Life 4, Signed Limited Edition Print