Bexhill is a small, almost unassuming, town on the South coast of Britain. I say unassuming but reach the sea front and you’ll be hit with the palatial Art Deco glory of the De La Warr Pavilion, a true hub for the arts in Sussex with regular music and comedy nights plus gallery spaces showing work by international contemporary artists. In 2021, I created a map of the Sea and the De La Warr Pavilion that you can read about here.
And now there’s another map, this time looking inland. Wander Bexhill’s rows of Victorian terraces and you might be surprised at how much public and street art there is here. W.ave Arts commissioned me to map exactly this.
W.ave Arts is an independent non profit organisation that works with and for the Bexhill community to make it a better place for the next generation. Projects include creating murals, arts festivals, art workshops and there are also plans to build a sustainable community space with creative studios.
The map is a true celebration of locally-made and site specific art. Turn a corner and find an unexpected mural of an octopus or kingfisher. A giant caterpillar slopes past the library and a jaunty toadstool fills a school playground wall. A community sculpture piece commemorating those lost to Covid can be found on West Parade. The Footbridge Gallery is a feature – a surprising outdoor exhibition space on the station footbridge – along with a multitude of artist studios and exhibition spaces. There’s even a changing exhibition in a window of a house on Cornwall Road. Art can be made by everyone, not just professional artists.
I loved W.ave Arts’ positivity and drive to get things done; they truly want to make Bexhill a better place. Their enthusiasm was infectious and I hope the map they commissioned encourages people to explore the town art and ‘love where they live’. Collectively this body of murals, sculpture and street art shows a community determined to be creative and make their environment beautiful. I came to the conclusion that Bexhill and its people are anything but unassuming.
The map was created in pen and ink and is A3 in size. It can be picked up for free in many of the venues in Bexhill and appears on the W.ave Arts website here with further information about each artwork.
Helen Cann News 