Solo at the Solaris

Kathy Rowan

Oct 8, 20213 min read

Last month I had my first ever solo exhibition. It was at the Solaris Centre in Blackpool which is normally a light and bright, bustling place. However due to post-Covid conditions many of the office workers within the building were working from home, and the usual community activities within the centre were not taking place. Consequently, the place was a lot quieter than usual. This meant the 'footfall' was considerably reduced for my exhibition.

The cafe was open (I'm glad to say) and it remained quite busy regardless of the absence of office staff and other visitors to the building. This meant there were some people around and also it provided any visitors to my exhibition with some welcome refreshments and hospitality.

I was disappointed not to be able to host an opening event of some sort. I knew that the artists traditional Thursday evening 'private view' for selected guests and members of the artistic community was not going to be a possibility as the centre closes in the evenings. However, I had hoped to host a opening afternoon, to welcome guests in person and show them around the work. This wasn't possible though, and left me feeling a bit 'flat', which was a shame. I tried to ignore the feelings of dissapointment and carried on regardless. I didn't want to waste the opportunity and had worked hard towards completing work in time for this event which I had named 'A Witch Alone'.

I'm glad to say a few friends did attend the exhibition, and the feedback I got from them and the reception staff at the venue was pretty good. All good practice for future events I suppose, but a little disheartening nevertheless. I had to remind myself how far I've come in my artistic journey these last few years. Three years ago I wouldn't have even dared to call myself an artist, let alone be brave enough to exhibit my work in a public place. Now I felt confident enough to do both and now I have had my first solo exhibition! That was something worth celebrating. It is too easy to overlook these things in a world that is constantly looking forward and striving for more and more achievements. I think it's important to pause sometimes, and savour the moment - recognise our achievements - whether they be big or small. Our inner growth is a very personal thing, and what seems like a small achievement to the outside world can sometimes be a very big achievement to us privately.

Here's some photos that my partner Mark took when we had finished hanging the exhibition. I hope they give you an idea of what it was like.