EXHIBITION: FLICKERING

Polly Burnay is a fine artist and illustrator based in Glasgow. In 2024, she was awarded the Cass Art Solo Show Award at the Royal Watercolour Society’s Open exhibition for her portraits Fading and Gabriel. Polly is drawn to the unpredictability and spontaneity of watercolour and ink, as well as its emotive potential. Water is one of the most natural mediums there are: water heals; water sustains; bodies of water soothe us. Working from photographs and her imagination, Polly enjoys moving pigmented water across a page to capture the spirit and story of her subjects, preserving them in time. 

Flickering evokes coming into being and fading away within the tremble of a flame. It bridges the gap between two worlds. Connection with others and the world itself is how we cope with life’s fleetingness. In these works, Polly evokes this yearning for connection by capturing souls as they journey through the life cycle, from the world of the living to the in-between. In one drawing, Polly imagines what it might be like to be a departed spirit looking down at their loved ones. In another, she imagines what it might be like to morph into a tree – or, to fade away completely. This exhibition is a response to a personal spiritual experience which has altered her perception of life, death, and consciousness. In their book On Connection, the poet Kae Tempest states: “connection is the feeling of landing in the present tense”. Polly aims to animate the stillness and hold it here. @pollyburnayart

Location: The Art Space, Cass Art Glasgow

Dates & Times: 

• Private View: Tuesday 13th May 2025, 6-8pm (all welcome)
• Exhibition runs: Wednesday 14th May - Wednesday 28th May 2025 (open during Cass Art opening hours)

Admission: FREE

This exhibition has step-free access.

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