Inner Mind

Inner Mind opens at Café Momus on Friday 10 July, a joint exhibition by two emerging artists, Tom and Jordan. They've spent the last few months working around the tension between introspection and play, and the show brings that together through painting, drawing and a collaborative installation. The opening evening kicks off at 18:00 at 16 Manor Street, PL1 1TL.

On the walls, you'll see their individual work side by side. Both Tom and Jordan deal with figures and deep-seated emotions, though they approach them from very different creative processes. The two styles run parallel across the room, each holding its own space, until they meet in the middle: a central collaborative piece where their separate ideologies merge into a single, cohesive vision. It's a bit of a study in how two distinct ways of working can find a common ground through a process of breaking things down and building them back up again.

There's a specific thread running through the whole thing, too. The artists talk about a world that's 'starved for play', and they've set this up as a space to find it again—a way to connect with the present and find a bit of joy in the face of what they describe as a global epidemic of burnout. That's not just a theme they're talking about; it's something they want you to actually do while you're there.

On the opening night, they've set out blank canvases across the gallery and are inviting everyone to get involved. They're encouraging people to 'ruin' and 'destroy' what's on the canvas, the idea being that by letting go of the need to make something 'good', you clear away the expectations and get to the act of creating for its own sake. It's a hands-on way of doing exactly what the show is about. So, if you're around on the 10th, drop into Café Momus from 18:00 and see where it goes.