In her debut solo show “Seeing Beyond,” British-Hungarian artist Laura Medcalf surrenders control to nature, creating luminous, water-immersed works shaped by rivers, seas, and the slow alchemy of time.
British-Hungarian artist Laura Medcalf is letting go of control—one dip at a time. Her debut solo show Seeing Beyond at 54 The Gallery in Mayfair sees her surrendering her work to nature, immersing each piece in rivers, seas, and open waters from England to Hungary, Monaco, and Ibiza. The result? One-of-a-kind works that embody trust in organic transformation.
Laura Medcalf
Each piece undergoes a slow, deliberate process, beginning in the studio, where Medcalf hand-applies a custom light-sensitive paint. From there, the work is submerged in natural environments—absorbing not only the waters themselves but also the surrounding soil, air and atmosphere. Over 72 hours, each piece develops through 18 layers, shifting with every exposure. “Layered ephemeral but dipped permanent,” she says—a phrase that distils her approach: surrendering authorship to the elements.
Having studied Fine Art in Bournemouth, Medcalf’s early proximity to the sea laid the foundation for a practice rooted in nature’s unpredictability. Rather than impose narrative or meaning, she allows sweet and salty waters to leave their own imprint—embracing chance, entropy and change.
At the private view, the paintings radiated a quiet, contemplative power. Their rich, shifting blues felt atmospheric. Each one stood like a living form, with its own sensory rhythm and internal tide. They don’t feel painted so much as grown—organic impressions shaped beyond human intention.
30 x 30 cm Laura Medcalf
Her works resist categorisation by geography. Instead, they follow sensory and ecological flows—uncertain, intuitive and deeply grounding. At the heart of it all is trust: in nature, in the process, and in letting go. This isn’t abstraction for abstraction’s sake—it’s collaboration with the wild.
Medcalf’s work is held in private collections across Europe, Hong Kong and the US. Following a series of solo shows in Hungary—including a recent exhibition at Apollo Gallery—this marks her first solo presentation in a London gallery setting. On view until 25 May, the pieces offer a visual exhale in the heart of the city.
Laura Medcalf: Seeing Beyond is on until the 25th of May, 2025 at 54 The Gallery, 54 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7QX.
©2025 Laura Medcalf
Joanna is a contributing writer exploring contemporary art and the intersection of creativity, culture, and society.
