Two years ago photographer Jo Metson Scott met Hamish and she’s been following his progress ever since. Hamish is a member of the Elite Great British Gymnastic squad.  He is one of the country’s top athletes; dedicated, focused, muscular, and twelve years old.

Through her work Jo has documented Hamish’s life and the graft needed to make is as an elite gymnast have shaped every single aspect of his life.

“Hamish’s command of movement makes his body seem powerful and weightless and it is easy to forget that he is still a child. He spends more time in the gym than he does at school,” says Jo. “His training partners are his closest friends but also his competitors. They depend on each other immensely, both physically and emotionally, but ultimately they will end up competing against each other and there will only ever be one winner.”

Bestowing an empathetic awareness of the strength and vulnerability central to Hamish’ life, Jo uses muted colour tones and soft blurred shapes to accentuate the beauty and control of the young gymnasts’ bodies.

With the London Olympics approaching it is a timely exploration of a life dedicated to becoming an elite athlete.  The journey to compete in the Olympic games starts many years before the competition.

Gym Boy will be exhibited at B store, kingly Street, London until 26 August.

Tags: b Store, Elite Great British Gymnastic Squad, Jo Metson Scott

With Frieze Art Fair having turned London into a kaleidoscope of visionary talents, the timing could not have been more ripe for Seana Gavin’s Alternate Dimensions exhibition at the b Store.

The artist will be showing exactly what makes her space psychedelia work so magnetic. The exhibit will include a three-dimensional collage window installation and otherworldly landscape pieces such as Lost In Space.

Gavin, for whom dreams, science fiction and her upbringing in Woodstock, NY all act as inspirations, has previously exhibited her pieces alongside the likes of Tracey Emin, Mark Titchner, and Jake and Dinos Chapman.

A graduate from the Camberwell College of Art, she explores different states of consciousness in her work, in reaction to the imagery overload and visual noise that constitute our modern-day world.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Gavin’s work so compelling: is it the full spectral range of colour, the seemingly unconnected elements that are blended into one cohesive image or the fact that her collages transport its viewer into another dimension?

The definite explanation of its attraction may still be up in space, but it’s clear that the only worthy  way to experience Seana Gavin’s work is up close and personal.

Alternate Dimensions is at b Store, 24a Savile Row, W1S 3PR until 5 November.

Tags: b Store, Frieze Art Fair, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Mark Titchner, Seana Gavin, tracey emin