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Hi Lucy – Your Open House sounds really exciting again this year – including local celebrities such as TBOY and The Postman. Would you like to tell us a little about the artists in the show?
We’ve got a really strong mix this year, with a balance of returning artists and new additions. It’s painting, sculpture and mixed media, and importantly it’s eye-catching work that grabs you visually and holds up when you spend time with it. It’s been put together to feel balanced across the whole show, with each artist bringing something distinct while still sitting well together.
The ten artists are:
TBOY (returning) – contemporary pop artist with sharp ideas and serious attention to detail. Consistently strong work.
The Postman (returning) – Brighton favourites. Iconic celebrity pieces plus a new series tied to the NHS hoardings.
Elizabeth Eade (new) – Hix Prize winner showing a couple of beautiful and considered hanging sculptures. Quietly powerful work.
Bob and Eve (new) – local textile artist working with text and pattern. Smart, well judged text pieces alongside a new run of florals.
Katinka Herbert (new) – London based portrait photographer looking at identity and performance. Strong intriguing images with an enticing colour palette.
Arlo Sinclair (new) – focused on old tech, creating nostalgic takes on early digital culture. Recently made the world’s largest working Game Boy, which says a lot.
George Fox (returning) – known for incredibly detailed drawings. New work deconstructs familiar objects in a really elegant way.
Jamie Eke (new) – illustrator behind the retro BHAFC matchday programmes. Instantly recognisable style, now pushed into one off pieces.
Ricky Also (new) – Brighton street/ mural artist making clean, bold text works with a strong graphic presence and in gorgeous colours
Susan Fynes (returning) – precise geometric acrylic paintings with layers of colour and hidden coded text. Beautifully done.
Can you tell us about your collaboration with Pepita Coffee?
Pepita Coffee is a luxury coffee presented in artist-designed collectable tins. Throughout the house, they will sit as lovely little collectable artworks in their own right, dotted around the space. Many are designed by artists in the show, so they naturally become part of the overall experience rather than something separate. It’s a nice way for people to take something away with them that feels both considered and accessible.
Fatboy Slim made a guest appearance. What is his involvement?
Fatboy Slim visited the house on Sunday, 4 May to launch new Pepita Coffee tins designed by TBOY. As a Director of Pepita Coffee, he’s closely involved in the project, so this was a proper moment in the programme. It was a rare chance to see him up close, meet him in a relaxed setting, take photos, and have purchases of both the artwork and the coffee signed on the day.
Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your own work?
I’m a conceptual artist and curator. My work tends to be minimal, with dry humour and focusing on small shifts in context that change how something is read. That aesthetic carries through into the Open House, which will be presented in a white cube style. It keeps things clean and lets the work speak for itself. Expect gallery style, considered curation with a cheerful contemporary feel.
What do you enjoy about opening your house?
The atmosphere once it’s up and running. There’s a real buzz to it. You meet great people, including lots of artists, and the conversations are a big part of it. The house completely shifts, and for me, becomes a live-in contemporary gallery, which always feels a bit magical.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
This year feels particularly meaningful. Following my recent cancer diagnosis, it’s been a real opportunity to focus on something positive and keep momentum going. Open Houses have always been about connection, and this one feels even more so. It’s a chance to bring people together, support the artists, and create something genuinely uplifting.
I hope it demonstrates that even in challenging circumstances, you can still create, share and stay engaged. Art can be a real source of happiness, both in making and being around it.
