JUSTIN LEES / SOLO EXHIBITION

22 August - 30 August, 2025

Following a visit to London and a December residency at Château Bothénvillers in the French countryside, Justin Lees presents a body of work shaped by shifting landscapes, quiet solitude, and the slow passage of winter light. Days were spent painting in the grand yet timeworn rooms of the château, while short journeys to nearby villages—Bonneval with its gentle bends of the River Loir, the regal silhouettes of Blois and Chambord—provided moments of stillness and reflection. The textures, tones, and rhythms of these places seep into the work, capturing something of their unhurried presence.

This exhibition brings together pieces from Lees’ two most recent shows alongside newer works created during and after the residency. Together they chart a continuum—threads of colour, gesture, and mood running between earlier explorations and fresh impressions gathered in France. There’s a sense of travel here, not simply between locations, but through states of mind: from the familiarity of the studio to the expansive quiet of an unfamiliar land, from the soft melancholy of departure to the quiet exhilaration of return.

Opening reception: 22 August, 2025 6pm - 8pm
On view: 22-30 August, 2025

Location: Wester Gallery39 Bolton St, Newcastle

Free Entry

Silver & Cold / Group Exhibition. 18 July - 2 August, 2025

Ollie An Ant / Ozzy Wright. 6 June - 5 July, 2025

Pass & Vinegar / James Rhodes. 9 - 24 May, 2025

Field Recordings / Thomas Thorby-Lister. 11 April - 3 May, 2025

The Commute / Paula Thistleton. 21 March - 4 April, 2025

Bodyache /. Brontë Naylor. 6 - 21 December, 2024

Mea Culpa . Shane Bonsujet. 8 - 23 November, 2024

Out of Towners / Group Exhibition curated by Heath Nock. 13 - 28 September, 2024

Streets of our Town / Mahalia Leckner & Jack Reading. 23 August - 7 September, 2024

Surf City / Matthew Wolfenden. 3 - 17 August, 2024

Beautiful Chaos / Chico Leong. 28 June - 6 July, 2024

Harbinger / Liana Goninon. 7 - 22 June, 2024

Idolatry / Chris De La Motte. 10 - 25 May, 2024

In The Heart Of Being / Heidi Lai. 5 - 20 April, 2024

Ever & A Day / Group Show. 15 - 30 March, 2024

Smile / Heath Nock & Tahlia Undarlegt - 1 - 18 December, 2023

Mod Deep / Group Exhibition - 3 - 18 November, 2023

Of Greeting & Goodbyes / Group Exhibition - 8 - 23 September, 2023

I Saw Your Ghost Tonight / Justin Lees - 4 - 26 August, 2023

Fractured Seconds / Mitchell K. Jordan - 5 - 20 May, 2023

Spontaneous Observations / Kimberly Swan 31 March - 22 April, 2023

Formation / Graham Eldridge - 3 - 25 February, 2023

Nothing Can Stop Us Now / Group Exhibition - 2 - 24 December, 2022

Persephone's Garden / Shannon Bellamy - 4 - 26 November, 2022

Depository / Hung Supply Group Exhibition - 7 - 29 October, 2022

Little Things / Luke O'Donnell - 2 - 24 September, 2022

A Bit On / Jacob Boylan - 5 - 27 August, 2022

At A Glance: The Beginning - 1-23 July, 2022