Exhibition to celebrate Solihull's link to Surrealism
2025-02-01
Category: entertainment

An outdoor exhibition is to celebrate a town's links to the Surrealist art movement.Surreal Solihull will display the work of Emmy Bridgwater, an artist and poet born in Birmingham in 1906, who lived in Solihull. The exhibition will run from 6 March to 31 May on Solihull High Street and will also include work from 30 local artists who were commissioned to create new Surrealist pieces."Emmy Bridgwater was an important part of the Surrealist movement and I am delighted she is being rediscovered and her work is finding a new audience," said artist Helen Grundy. 
Ms Grundy, a Birmingham-based contemporary artist, is among those whose work has been selected for the Solihull exhibition.Surrealism is a style of art inspired by dreams and hidden thoughts, which started in Paris, France in the 1920s.Bridgwater founded and worked with the Birmingham Surrealists in the 1930s and 1940s.
"My piece 'Bird Land' is a homage to her work and promotes my belief that she is an inspiration to modern artists," Ms Grundy said. "In my piece she is a hybrid – part human, part bird – and she towers over a surreal imagined landscape that represents a dreamlike version of Solihull."Other artists will be announced in February, with their work on show for the first time when the event launches.
"The 'Surrealist Manifesto' was published just over 100 years ago in 1924, but Surrealist art continues to influence contemporary art, fashion and interior design," said Wazma Qais, cabinet member for communities at Solihull Council. "'Surreal Solihull' will shine a light on Solihull's very own Surrealist Emmy Bridgwater and also provide a space for emerging and established contemporary local artists to engage with this exciting and thought- provoking art movement."The free exhibition was funded by organisations including the West Midlands Combined Authority, Solihull Council, The Mayor Gallery, Emmy Bridgwater Estate and Solihull BID.
Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.