Fergal Stapleton

‘According to an article in the Kenya Times, the Maitreya’s actual arrival in our world is not a matter of mere speculation. He’s already here, and on 11 June 1988 actually appeared to a crowd of thousands in Nairobi. Mr Job Mutungi, editor of the Swahili edition of the Kenya Times, was an eye-witness to this event, and he was clearly impressed by what he saw: `I am convinced this was a miracle’ he is reported as saying. `Sparks came from his feet. I saw a bright star in daytime thrice. This person appeared mysterious to the crowd, and he had a light around his head. He promised to return with a bucketful of blessings. He blessed the crowd in Swahili, muttered a Hebrew curse, and left in a taxi driven by a Mr Gurnam Singh’.

— Guardian, 12 June 1988

The second exhibition at the gallery is a solo show by Fergal Stapleton. There will be six paintings of a cat. There will also be a sculpture.

The paintings are lush and affectionate. Each one is a still, a motionless silent screen shot. In sequence they make a blown-up animation of sorts. The cat has been painted with veneration but you wouldn’t want to call them religious paintings. Yet the title of the show – I SHALL ARRIVE SOON – is clearly prophetic.

Stapleton graduated from Middlesex Polytechnic BA in 1990 and from Goldsmiths MA in 1993. He currently lives and works in London.