Preview: Sawdust and Sequins, RWA

Pictured above: Detail from a portrait of Natasha Lacey, aerialist with Russell’s Circus, by Peter Lavery

Exactly 250 years ago, on an abandoned patch of land near Waterloo, London, showman, entrepreneur and equestrian Philip Astley drew out a circle in the ground and filled it with astounding physical acts. This spectacle was the world’s very first circus.

Astley created a whole new art form. His 42-foot ring, the dazzling combination of jugglers, acrobats, clowns, strong men, bareback riders… circus began at this moment in 1768.

This year, performers and Big Tops up and down the country are celebrating 250 years of art form. And, to mark this anniversary, the Royal West of England Academy presents a major exhibition that pays homage to both the glitter and the grit of circus. Sawdust and Sequins: The Art of the Circus is packed with historic and contemporary art, inspired by the magic, thrills and spills of the greatest show on earth.

The Grand Parade, Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia by Edward Seago, 1932, oil on canvas, courtesy of Gerry Cottle

Since its inception circus has, unsurprisingly, been a rich source of inspiration for artists. From familiar scenes of clowns, elephants and acrobats, to the unseen reality of life on the road, Sawdust and Sequins explores the complex nature of circus and why it still captures our imaginations.

Artist Ros Cuthbert, whose work features in the exhibition, says: “I find the tradition of itinerant dreamers, creatives and ruffians living on the edge of society really inspiring. Circuses are an invitation to imaginative humour, and a romantic alternative to a treadmill existence.”

Three Clowns by Ros Cuthbert, 2014, collage, gouache & watercolour

Circus has always been a part of Bristol’s cultural DNA. At one point, there were six permanent Big Tops in the city. Today, Bristol has more circus companies than anywhere else in the UK. Nicolas Young is Artistic and Managing Director of Circomedia, the UK’s biggest provider of circus, based in Portland Square. “There is a critical mass of artists and producers based in Bristol who create their own work and who collaborate when they need to,” he explains. “Add to this a host of smaller companies and individual artists and you have all the right ingredients to produce exciting work.”

Sawdust and Sequins will feature works by Peter Blake (including his iconic Circus Collage Triptych), Eileen Cooper, Dame Laura Knight RA, Edward Seago, Walter Sickert RA, Duncan Grant and many more. Other works include Beth Carter and Stuart Mitchell’s tiny and evocative animation box, The Shining Guest, in which – to a circus soundtrack – a girl slowly appears out of a dancing horse and pirouettes on its back before disappearing.

Eileen Cooper, Acrobat

There will also be an exhibition of Peter Lavery’s circus portrait photography, which documents the gritty underbelly of life in the circus from the 1970s to the present day. A spectacular opening weekend (March 24-25), meanwhile, will launch the show and bring the RWA building to life with performances and aerial stunts by jaw-dropping Circomedia performers. There will also be free circus skills sessions and creative workshops for the whole family to try.

Fiona Robinson is the exhibition’s co-curator. “I love the idea of making connections between different art forms. Historically circus was, and still is, about performance, but it is what would be classified as low art – as opposed to the high arts of painting and sculpture – so it is very interesting to see them together in the same space. And, of course, high or low, the circus has always been a very rich source visually for artists.”

Artist P J Crook is also exhibiting. “I’ve always found the circus a great source of inspiration – as an art student I wrote my thesis on clowns, looking at their history including highlights from the life of the great Joseph Grimaldi. The oldest painting I have (painted while still a student) is of a trapeze artist waiting to clamber up the pole, while watching the tightrope walker complete his act.

P J Crook, Grand Parade

“I adore circus as a creative art form, with its breathtaking feats of daring, and still enjoy taking my family to see Giffords Circus each summer where two of their players often juggle with firebrands or knives. The small scale of the ring and the use of domestic animals – turkeys, geese, birds, dogs, horses – help bring to life stories from Shakespeare, art, myth and folklore. I love circus’ history, tradition and magic, and the spell it casts on young and old alike.”

Sawdust and Sequins: The Art of the Circus March 24-June 3, Royal West of England Academy.
The opening weekend celebrations take place on Saturday, March 24 (10.30am-3pm) and Sunday, March 25 (11.30am-3pm). For more info, visit shop.rwa.org.uk/collections/events/products/sawdust-and-sequins and shop.rwa.org.uk/collections/gallery-events/products/sawdust-and-sequins-opening-weekend