A JOINT prizewinner in last year’s Oriel Davies Gallery Open Competition has her own exhibition on at the Newtown gallery.

Brighton-based Louise Bristow presents a major body of new and recent work in her first exhibition in Wales.

“Re-Enactment”, on until December 2, features Louise’s intimately beautiful paintings created directly in response to arrangements of models and collage elements, reminiscent of miniature stage sets, assembled in her studio.

Her compelling and intriguing paintings twist time and space, presenting alternative environments for exploration. The meaning or story within each piece is loose having multiple readings over time and according to circumstances.

“The particular working process I have developed is my attempt to deceive honesty. By painting from staged scenarios of collaged landscapes and models I am not attempting to create an image of the real world, but an image of an already orchestrated, symbolic world," said Louise.

Also opening this Saturday is the third project in the year-long Litmus programme with Cardiff-based artist/designer Neasa Terry.

Neasa will be in residence to explore emerging ideas relating to recorded sound, the human body, mechanical reproduction and technology, through a series of performances.

Also being launched is “The Kitchen”, a creative social space where art, performance, craft and film will be made, shared and inspired.

The gallery's own “pop-up project” and event space is open to visitors between October and January presenting a vibrant programme of workshops, activities, events and talks alongside fantastic opportunities for collaboration and community intervention.