Ludi, 2026
British portrait artist Morag Caister’s new solo exhibition Watching the City opened this week at RHODES. Watching the City explores a group of sitters across various creative industries offering an introspective glimpse into the lives of these individuals.
Whilst in previous portraits Caister has worked from photographs, an integral facet to Watching the City is the process of Caister’s work all created from live sittings. Each individual portrait has been worked from time spent with the sitters in her studio in Brighton, offering the opportunity to understand more of their characters through the intimate process of portrait painting. Each portrait adopts new complexities as the piece evolves from a mere likeness to one which becomes much rather a portrait of character than rendering of physical accuracy; these portraits each become an ode to the sitter and the fleeting, yet intimate, time spent with one another in the time of their creation. Portraits such as Ludi or Freya explore the intimate moments shared between painters alike. Ludi, an artist the same age as Caister who’s zest for life and “cool girl energy” is shown in her most relaxed state laying pensively with an averted gaze. Freya, who “embodies girlhood, loves to drink espresso martinis [and] loves to have fun” is similarly shown laying on her front, head resting on her arms, enjoying the peace and serenity of the artist’s studio.
Freya, 2026
Oil on Canvas
100 x 165 cm
Caister’s portraits highlight new complexities as they interrogate the densely populated life in the city and the parasocial relationships which one develops. Whether it be the same stranger who takes the same tube each day, or the barista at your favourite coffee shop, these people become routinely figures in our everyday lives, yet remain completely elusive and unknown. Watching the City offers a platform for these figures to be understood on a more intimate scale as we are provided a glimpse into their world through Caister’s pensive and introspective style. Ranging dramatically in scale, Caister’s vastly different canvases unwaveringly retain the overall intimacy of the piece. Miniature canvas George and Juliet shows a cropped rendering of a couple’s visages- no more than their faces are visible as one whispers to the other, allowing the viewer to enjoy the affectionate scene. As a rendering of one of Caister’s oldest friends and her new partner, the cropped nature of the work interrogates the complexities of our relation as viewer; we are let in to the intimacy of the scene, yet we know no more about the couple beyond this small canvas. In stark contrast, the large-scale dual portrait of Dan and Julian offers an image of the two men reclining on the sofa sharing a playful conversation as Caister renders their likeness. With relaxed, informal poses featuring legs propped up on the sofa, this painting offers a similar experience where the viewer becomes an onlooker to the couple’s daily life behind closed doors. An interplay between the polite yet cheeky Dan is contrasted by the calm and grounding Julian, emanating an air of comfort and safety through the canvas.
Dan and Julian, 2026
Oil on Canvas
140 x 180 cm
Balance is integral in the creation of these pieces as Caister toys with personality and the overall presence of the sitter in each piece, whilst keeping up with her pared-back style. The portrait of Harris, an internationally acclaimed fashion designer, embodies this simplification of form to the most integral features, where his maximalist embellished jacket is rendered with playful dabs of paint in a circular motif. Similarly, in Camille, the sitter’s partner is partially cut out, holding a semi-abstracted sausage dog. The feeling is that Caister is including aspects of Camille’s life but retaining the focus on the sitter herself.
Caister’s portrait is sure to explore the “beautiful mixture of dignity, strength, and vulnerability.” Grounded in intention, each portrait is constructed from few brushstrokes yet incredibly captures likeness and emotion with such nuance and accuracy.
Watching the City continues at RHODES until 31 October. Email us for more information.
