Fleeting Moments

The Crack Magazine ‘Fleeting Moments’ 1 December 2023

Rachel Lancaster’s stop-you-in-your-tracks paintings capture those strange moments you generally view out of the corner of your eye. You can see her new show at Workplace gallery in Newcastle.

A red balloon obscures a child’s face. An inelegantly wrapped parcel (cerise coloured paper) lies on a table. Someone (a man or woman – we can’t see their face) wears an Aran jumper. These are the kind of scenes that are of great interest to Rachel Lancaster, which she depicts in her stunning oil paintings. She grabs these ‘stills’ from found moving imagery, alongside an archive of her own photographs, in a way that feels fresh, surprising and cinematic, with the seemingly mundane becoming weighted with a narrative significance. Lancaster – a recipient of the Ares Mosaic Art Prize and BEEP Painting Prize – was born in Hartelpool and now lives and works in Newcastle. She has exhibited widely and taken part in numerous projects, performances and artist residencies both nationally and internationally. Last year she joined Workplace and this exhibition marks her first solo show for the gallery. RM

Rachel Lancaster: In The Wake, 25 November-10 January, Workplace, Newcastle, workplacegallery.co.uk