The Thousands

Like the end of Sunday afternoon, or a song by Natasha Khan, an irresistible melancholy defines the work of Leah Fraser. There’s something eerie and beautiful in the way her canvases follow a similar composition: one bold, childlike face stares out from a backdrop of falling flowers while two small hands listlessly cradle a bird or a cat or a fox.

In ‘For A Night With You’ a solitary girl gazes impassively from darkness, her limp hair wrapped around the bristly fur of a fox while overhead a speckled night sky blossoms with a million stars. The work reflects a strange loneliness you can’t really see, but can feel echoed in your own desolate city life.**The wistful, heart-tugging emotion is reinforced by the magnitude of the exhibition itself – 32 works line the walls of this new gallery space – and for a first show this is a hugely impressive effort. Check it out.