Lydia Blakeley's 'Aftersun' at Balazsi Gallery Blends Pop Art and Digital Detox

Lydia Blakeley's exhibition 'Aftersun' at Balazsi Gallery in Palma de Mallorca presents new paintings that merge pop art influences with a critique of screen culture. The show, running in 2026, features works like 'Half Dozen' (2026) depicting oyster shells as an embodied still life, referencing Dorothea Tanning's 'Rêve de Luxe' (1944). Blakeley's practice, influenced by Pauline Boty (1938-66) and the fictional art historian Elisabeth Demand from Ali Smith's novel 'Autumn' (2016), explores leisure, aspiration, and escapism as political acts. Works such as 'Lay Out', 'Sun In', 'Country Club' (all 2026) incorporate motifs like citrus fruits, Fiat Pandas, and pool-side paraphernalia. Blakeley has painted directly on sun-loungers since 2018. The exhibition includes pieces like 'Sweetie', 'Softly', and 'Sojourn' (all 2026) that nod to Boty's 'Untitled (Landscape with Rainbow)' (1961). Curator Derek Horton noted Boty's influence in the 2017 publication 'Lydia Blakeley: £eisure'. Blakeley's work calls for slow viewing and digital detox, as cited in a 2025 interview with Tuesday Gutierrez for Mōmardi.