MATT SMITH AMONG STARS AT EXHIBITION WITH THE BIG PINK

Last night, The Big Pink’s Robbie Furze and renowned contemporary artist, Robyn Ward  hosted a star-studded dinner and private view of their collaborative exhibition, ‘Walking in the Dark’. 

Walking in the Dark is the first capsule in an ambitious initiative to help support the work of Cancer Research UK. Curated by artistic director Shai Baitel (Modern Art Museum Shanghai), Walking in the Dark features 22 large painted canvases and six freestanding sculptures inspired by Ward’s nomadic lifestyle.

The star-studded dinner and private view hosted at Old Sessions House included guests such as, House of the Dragon star Matt Smith, Emma Laird, Lottie Moss, Lady Mary Charteris, Kevin Bishop, artist Daphne Guinness, Fantastic Beasts star Samantha Morton, Victoria Aspinall, Elena Ora and Vera Sahatçiu.

All proceeds from the event went to Cancer Research UK, a charity and cause that is hugely important to both Furze and Ward with both having had family members affected by cancer. 

Robyn Ward & Matt Smith, Getty Images

Robbie Furze recently launched The Pamela Ann Foundation in tribute to his mother, who is undergoing a long battle with the disease. A series of new visual art collaborations and experiences are set to follow Walking in the Dark both in the UK and abroad.

Robyn Ward in his studio

The week-long installation at Old Sessions House in Clerkenwell, which opens to the public during Frieze week, is the first initiative of a new foundation that has been established for leading visual artists and musicians to collaborate in locations around the world to raise funds in the fight against the cancer.

“Robbie has composed something beautiful which links the paintings and the music together in an incredible way. It will be as if people are actually exploring my own subconscious in the darkness, which makes Robbie’s soundtrack such an important part of the experience. It really brings my emotions to life.” Robyn Ward says.

“‘I love creating atmospheres and soundscapes and I like to think that my music creates an almost meditative effect, so you can appreciate Robyn’s work even more by enhancing the whole experience, working with it rather than distracting from it,” Robbie Furze comments.

‘Walking in the Dark’ opens on Thursday by private appointment and to the public from 13th until 15th October.