PRESS RELEASE
CARYN SCRIMGEOUR | Solo Exhibition
Nov 13 – Dec 12, 2026
CARYN SCRIMGEOUR | Solo Exhibition
13 November - 12 December 2026
Everard Read London presents an exhibition of new paintings by South African artist, Caryn Scrimgeour.
Scrimgeour’s paintings are obsessively immaculate – a manifestation of intense attention to detail and an extraordinary command of her palette. Her table settings intrigue and fascinate by juxtaposing fragile and precious curios with everyday objects, each exquisitely rendered.
Rich in symbolism, her work is reminiscent of still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Scrimgeour uses ephemeral objects – butterflies, petals, a glistening fig – to remind us of our transience and fragility.
The perfectly rendered contours and surfaces of each object can be deceiving, though, as Scrimgeour uses them as both symbols and as more ordinary icons. These more commonplace objects are holders of memory - they prompt us to remember experiences and in so doing to remind us of who we are.
In Scrimgeour’s paintings, a burnt match, a length of ribbon and a torn postcard are treated with as much fondness and care as bone-handled knives and delicately patterned plates. They seem to weave together a story. We assume we can piece together parts of Scrimgeour’s life from these varied clues, although it is a matter of some difficulty to separate our own associations with objects.
The absence of humans – aside from the artist’s ghostly reflection in a spoon or a fish knife – makes these works all the more poignant, as do the unlikely protagonists: the sumptuously embroidered tablecloths, the mismatched china; the silverware alongside disposable chopsticks; the humble matchbox and the lavishly painted jellybean.
