Reaching, Touching, Shedding – Post-Match Conversation

Join us for an informal evening of conversation in the context of Helena Samarasinghe’s exhibition Reaching, Touching, Shedding.

The event begins with a short walkthrough of the exhibition, followed by a relaxed, ‘post-match’ roundtable bringing together artists, curators and athletes. Chaired by Nicholas Byrne, the discussion will explore connections between art and sport - from embodied movement and collective play to questions of identity, visibility and belonging.

Helena Samarasinghe, winner of the Vanguard Prize 2024 and alumna of BA Fine Art Drawing at Camberwell College of Arts, uses drawing to explore how the body moves through both artistic and athletic practice. In her work, mark-making parallels the act of playing sport: gesture, pressure and line register the body in motion, forming a kind of unscored choreography.

Following the walkthrough, Helena will be joined by Sophie Bownes, Jerome Ince-Mitchell, Ana Teles and Dorsa Yavarivafa for a conversation that opens out onto shared themes across art-making and sport, including feminist perspectives, postcolonial thinking and collective experience.

The discussion is informal, with space to listen, reflect and take part.

Refreshments will be provided.

Participants:
Nicholas Byrne (Chair, Artist & Lecturer across BA and MA programmes, including Fine Art (Drawing) and Painting, Camberwell College of Arts)
Helena Samarasinghe (Artist, Winner of the Vanguard Prize 2024)
Sophie Bownes (Curator & Producer)
Jerome Ince-Mitchell (Artist & Senior Lecturer, BA Painting, Camberwell College of Arts)
Ana Teles (Artist & Researcher)
DorsaYavarivafa (Badminton player, Refugee Olympic Team)

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This event is programmed alongside Reaching, Touching, Shedding, an exhibition of new work by Helena Samarasinghe, BA Fine Art Drawing alumna (2024), and winner of the Vanguard Prize (2024). Developed during her studio residency, the show brings together richly worked, large-scale drawings and cut-outs exploring sport, power, integrity and belonging.

Drawing on the bold contours of Kalighat painting, the work amplifies scale and physical intensity, positioning sporting performance as a site for negotiating visibility, agency and resilience.

All welcome – free entry, but booking is essential.
Exhibition runs: 15 May – 17 July 2026, Thursday - Saturday (11am - 4pm)

Supported by UAL Sanctuary / Sanctuary Programme

Image: Helena Samarasinghe,Untitled, 2025, charcoal and pastel on paper.