For British Art Fair 2026, The Hyde Gallery presents From Material to Digital – and Back, an exploration of how we experience beauty in an increasingly digital world.
At the centre of the stand sits Gillian Brett’s Life online collection. Small figures, cast in cold-cast bronze, sit absorbed in their screens - looking down, scrolling, connected digitally yet seemingly disconnected from the physical world around them. Brett uses traditional sculptural processes to address one of the most contemporary aspects of human behaviour.
Around them, the walls offer everything the figures fail to notice.
David Cottingham’s dancers celebrate the energy and movement of the human body, while his abstract landscapes explore atmosphere and a sense of place. Celia Wilkinson transforms landscape through expressive colour and mark-making, inviting us to experience rather than simply observe the natural world.
Aleksandra Suvorova, the Baroque Anarchist, draws on the visual richness and techniques of the Old Masters. Her dramatic floral works explore beauty, mortality, memory and transformation.
Anna Oborotova turns our attention back to the human face and emotional presence, while Deborah Jones brings the natural world into focus through her powerful animal imagery.
The juxtaposition is deliberate: cold-cast bronze and the digital screen; stillness and movement; looking down and looking outward.
At the centre, Brett's figures stare into their screens. Around them is colour, movement, landscape, nature and human expression - a world of beauty they no longer notice.
From Material to Digital – and Back asks a simple question: in a world where we are constantly looking at our screens, what are we failing to see?
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David Cottingham
David Cottingham (b. 1950, Sussex) is a British painter and sculptor whose work explores movement, the human figure, landscape and abstraction. He graduated from St Martin’s School of Art, London, in 1974, where he studied sculpture with leading figures of post-war British art including William Tucker, Phillip King RA and Sir Anthony Caro. His early sculptural practice focused on animating welded metal to create dynamic, dance-like structures, establishing a fascination with movement and rhythm that would later emerge in the expressive dance paintings for which he has become particularly recognised. Now based in London, Cottingham works simultaneously across figurative and abstract painting, believing that the two disciplines continually inform and strengthen one another. His current practice centres on two recurring themes: the human body in motion and the “Spirit of Place” within his abstract, landscape-inspired works. Through confident use of line, colour, gesture and rhythm, Cottingham seeks not simply to represent his subjects but to capture their energy and emotional essence, allowing each painting to develop through an intuitive and improvisational process. He has exhibited internationally, including in London, New York, Chicago and Rome, and his work is held in numerous private collections and has been commissioned for corporate collections.
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Celia Wilkinson
Celia’s practice is rooted in landscape, originally inspired by the area around Niton on the Isle of Wight, where she lived for many years, and more recently shaped by her travels abroad. Working from memory rather than direct observation, she seeks to capture the essence of a place, infusing her paintings with personal emotion and inviting contemplation.
Influenced by artists such as Patrick Heron, Paul Nash, Peter Lanyon, Paul Klee and Picasso, Celia deconstructs and reassembles the landscape. From a distance her works feel familiar, yet on closer inspection they dissolve into a rich interplay of marks, texture and colour.
Celia studied at the Central School of Art and completed her BA (Hons) Fine Art at St Martin’s School of Art, London.
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Anna Oborotova
Anna Oborotova is a modern London based artist and designer. Having graduated from the Estonian Academy of Art in 2007, Anna moved to London where she now lives and works. Anna creates vibrant and colourful artworks. Her art is bright, emotional, and symbolic. She likes to experiment with different media such as acrylics, pastels, markers and spray paints. Colour is a major point of her artistic style. She virtuously plays with it in all her works. Her inspiration comes from love and nature. Commonly being compared to Gustav Klimt and Byzantine Orthodox icons because of her use of gold leaf, she adds her own contemporary twist to these classic movements and artists.
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Gillian Brett
Gillian Brett is a London contemporary sculptor whose work is deeply informed by observation of the human form and the immediacy of working from life. Using materials such as clay, plaster, bronze and stone, she begins with fast, intuitive sketches in clay, embracing spontaneity and the unpredictable nature of the making process. Her sculptures are characterised by lively surfaces and expressive textures that capture movement, presence and emotional depth. Brett has exhibited widely, including at the ING Discerning Eye and Women in Art Fair, and received several awards and public commissions, reflecting her growing recognition within the contemporary sculpture landscape.
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Deborah Jones
Deborah Jones is a British contemporary artist, graduating from Central Saint Martins, with a Batchelor of Arts.
Working in a variety of creative environments, such as Harvey Nichols and Osbourne & Little, Deborah has always had a passion for art & creativity. Branching out on her own as an artist 8 years ago, Deborah has now achieved nationwide & global sales with art distributors, galleries and private clients. Her work has recently been featured in ‘The Last Word in Design’ Tatler Interiors and Style and Décor Uk. Deborah has also sold design work to Nike. Using a variety of mediums, including oils, acrylics, spray paint and inks, creating a mix of contemporary & fine art, Deborah's work is influenced by her background in design. Working on projects with interior designers & private clients, she puts current interior trends to into her artwork. Using colour, placement & planning for her paintings. She likes to paint flora & fauna in a contemporary style, using bold block colour & fine art detail. Deborah's love for nature shows through her artwork.
