Jemi gale’s debut solo exhibition at Mary Cherry ‘every painting has a friend’, explores friendship-driven practice, focusing on themes of companionship, preventing loneliness and the silent forms of communication we share. Jemi makes collaborative paintings with friends and pairs her own paintings with sculptures by invited artists.
‘I find myself continually drawn to the intricacies of interpersonal relationships—what it means to be a friend, how we communicate meaningfully, and how we show up for each other.’
Her work reflects an ongoing inquiry into what it means to nurture and sustain interpersonal relationships. Rather than existing solely as autonomous works, these paintings and sculptures act as visual testimonies to time spent together, embodying friendship as both process and subject matter.
A physical conversation between jemi and her artist friends is happening in paint instead of words and is thoughtfully realised by echoing the sentiment that art—much like friendship—exists in dialogue. The paintings become portraits of friendships themselves, capturing memories and honouring the people who have shaped her life. In this context, the gallery becomes more than an exhibition space; it is a landscape of relationships, each piece marking a moment, a memory, and an exchange. Through these works, she invites us to contemplate the sustaining power of friendship as a guiding force in both art and life.