“[Waves] will never be the same again each and every time they’re different, every single wave, every single ripple, every single breaking of a wave on a shore or rock all are unique and have never happened before and will never happen again”.

Bridget Riley’s Fold, is a screenprint shaped by memory, light and sensation and inspired by Riley’s childhood in Cornwall during World War II.

Riley was just 8 years old when she and the women in her family, (her mum, sister and aunt) left South London and moved to the Cornish coast to escape the war. With no school, no transport and few distractions, Riley spent her childhood surrounded by wild sea views, changing skies and windswept fields. That deep connection to nature and to the ever-shifting light of Cornwall, left a lasting impression on her and was a strong influence on her work. Fold echoes the ever-changing rhythms of the Cornish sea and sky. Though abstract, it holds something deeply personal: a visual memory of how it felt to be there. The artwork is her attempt to translate that into pure form and colour. No horizon, no waves, it is just the sensation of looking.