Hannah Barry Gallery: From Peckham to Patmos

Peckham to Patmos is not a well-worn path, but London’s Hannah Barry Gallery is making the unlikely journey this month to present the late British artist Norman Hyams’ first international exhibition. The remote Greek island shaped much of his final body of work, and on 12 August his paintings will return to the landscape that inspired them.

Titled ΠΝΕΥΜΑ PNEVMA (meaning “breath” or “spirit” in ancient Greek), the exhibition, which runs until 24 August, will take place at the historic Stavrakas House, located next to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in the village of Chora. It follows No Rush, Hyams’ first posthumous exhibition at Hannah Barry Gallery, held in London in 2025.

Hyams, who died prematurely in 2024, returned to Patmos each year with his family, and the island “came to represent a second home where familiar routines and rituals were repeated,” according to the exhibition’s press release. Those rituals included “teaching [his] children to swim, breakfasts of figs, honey and walnuts and lunches at the local taverna.”

It was also a place of observation. “Rising early each morning, Hyams would head down to Skala for a Greek coffee and watch the world go by, spending hours sketching at the port or on the beach.”

Barry told The Art Journal that the decision to take the exhibition beyond London was less about expanding the gallery’s reach than returning Hyams’ work to the point of its creation.

Norman Hyams’ self-portrait in the studio, date unknown. Photo: © Norman Hyams

“In the case of Norman’s island and marine paintings of sea, boats and divers, it allows us to present them very specifically in the context which inspired them,” she says.

That being said, the show does signal a new international direction for Hannah Barry Gallery, which has traditionally been rooted in its Peckham space. “We have always thought about organising a summertime project in August, taking the gallery ‘to the sea’,” Barry says. “We’d like for this to become an annual event, visiting a different place each year where the works of the artist could resonate with the context and opening up dialogue with new public and outside the UK.”

While many galleries have expanded internationally through art fairs, pop-up spaces or temporary outposts, Barry’s approach is notably site-responsive. Rather than exporting a London exhibition overseas, ΠΝΕΥΜΑ PNEVMA has been conceived around the place that gave rise to the paintings themselves.

That relationship extends to the venue on Patmos. Stavrakas House, operated by the Patmos Trust, has long been associated with the island’s cultural life. The nearby monastery is believed to mark the site where Saint John received the visions that became the Book of Revelation. 

“It feels right that Norman’s works inspired by the island and its rugged spiritual energies should be shown there,” she says. “Norman never discussed his work made in Patmos, rather like him there is a mystery as to why he made so many of these seaside related subjects.”

That sense of mystery will be reflected throughout the exhibition – the show will bring together previously unseen paintings selected directly from Hyams’ Shepherd’s Bush studio. Many depict the surrounding Dodecanese islands and were painted on unconventional materials including dried paint palettes, fruit crates, sponges and ceramic plates.

The decision to stage the exhibition in Patmos also forms part of a wider evolution in Hannah Barry Gallery’s programme. Alongside her Peckham operation, Barry has spent two decades developing the non-profit sculpture project Bold Tendencies.

Norman Hyams, Untitled, date unknown, stamped on verso, oil on correx on Amaco modelling compound, 17 x 22 x 2 cm © Norman Hyams’ Estate. Photo: © Damian Griffiths. Courtesy Norman Hyams’ Estate and Hannah Barry Gallery, London, UK

“We’re always open to new ideas and opportunities for the artists and the gallery,” Barry says. “Pursuing new contexts and ways of presenting the work is an essential part of an energised approach to participating in the wider art ecosystem. Equally important is maintaining consistency in our programme and activities at home in Peckham.”

Her philosophy has informed projects like BODYSUIT, the collaboration between painter George Rouy and choreographer Sharonn Eyal. It debuted at Wapping Power Station before travelling to Los Angeles earlier this year and Paris later in 2026. It also extends to the gallery’s participation in international fairs including Artissima and Paris Photo, each providing new audiences and contexts for its artists.

After recently celebrating two decades of both Hannah Barry Gallery and Bold Tendencies, Barry says projects such as ΠΝΕΥΜΑ PNEVMA are an opportunity to continue expanding the gallery’s activities without losing sight of its foundations.

“Having always been very focussed on our programme in the gallery in Peckham, and our adjacent work on the non-profit Bold Tendencies, both now in their 20th year, we are excited to explore new opportunities afforded by projects like this,” she says.