Collection: Hannah Flowers - North of Earthly Reason

The new exhibition of new paintings by Hannah Flowers, North of Earthly Reason, invites viewers to step outside of their daily lives and accepted logic and into a decadent odyssey- a folk horror pilgrimage through the artists medieval fever dreams, where the monstrosities are so lovingly wrought that they become strangely soothing and the blooming beauties are so ardently colour laden they send a thrill to the heart.

Opening reception: Oct 3rd, 5 - 8pm. This is a free event. As Beinart Gallery is a licensed venue, any minors attending the opening reception will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

This exhibition will run from Oct 4th - Oct 25th 2026, and will coincide with Jennifer Allnutt's Melencolia, and the group exhibition Demons in the Spring - Curated by Hannah Flowers.

The journey begins with a scene of bacchanalian revelry in which a Rubenesque nymph feasts on lush fruits and wines, whilst being serenaded by flute playing satyrs in the pastoral backdrop. A ritualistic Prelude to eternal damnation. 

From there we encounter Eater of Souls- a vast and monumental feminine Lucifer chained in a bed of thorns and roses and doomed to the eternal consumption of souls, a fate as terrible for the consumer as it is for the consumed. Demon henchmen delight in tormenting the fallen, whilst any would-be escapees are impaled on the rose thorns below. The opulent rainbow of colour in Lucifer's wings and the soft pink roses create a thrumming tension against the dark subject matter, a glorious sunlit nightmare.

The descent deepens:  in Fall of the Damned we’re given a close up view of a ruined maiden, her glittering trinkets of vice tumble uselessly around her as a dragon-like demon unravels her entrails. A swirling maelstrom of viscera, rose petals, fruits, wine and treasures spill, writhing and rollicking downwards into the scalding flames.

We awake from this radiant floral hellscape in a stygian meadow- a strange music fills the air and the sweet perfume of spring blooms wafts on the breeze. Pulchritudinous women grow from ancient stone, each singing a siren song brimming with blooms, each song a longing you never knew you had, each flower a bittersweet memory. Do not gaze too long, lest you feel their roots snake around your ankles and your feet sink into the verdant earth.

After a narrow escape we come upon an alchemist's den, which at first appears to be a hopeful refuge, a place of rest, craft and quiet study; of books, experiments and specimens. Then the soft buzzing of insects awakens a primordial fear, a faint metallic scent assails the nostrils. Eyes adjusting to the dim light, the ghostly shapes of dismembered bodies, lovingly arranged, bleed into focus.

Cautiously backing away, a floral mossy path leads up a mist shrouded mountain. As the fog clears, rainbow auras shimmer in an unearthly sky. Underfoot, the soft moss is warm to the touch, like the fur of an animal. Stroking this strange living carpet kindles a deep, comforting rumble, like the purr of a great cat. A lion emerges,  the earth itself awakening with eyes that have witnessed centuries. He does not speak, yet images appear in the minds eye, of way forwards, a destination.

Cresting the mountain a crumbling arthurian ruin rises into sight. The ancient stone holds within it memories of chivalric quests, fair maids and unicorns. On the crumbling battlement, a roof top garden in the clouds; Amongst vines and flowers, a damsel is tormented by an impish cyclops. His single eye gleaming with wicked delight as he taunts his captive.

Looking down to a warm open sea that’s as still as a lake, a forgotten isle emerges through a peculiar ethereal haze of dawn light. Over luminous vernal grass, fruit trees hang heavy and full, dreamlike flowers bloom, lurid and filled with a violet fragrance in the still, salt-cleansed air. The symbols of art, of music, painting and poetry rest on velvety cushions at this beginning of the end of the world, the silvery air murmuring with endless potential. Gentle animal familiars guide the imagination, swans glide on still water like the first thoughts of a waking mind, and a tiny unicorn is beheld; a small seed of infinite possibilities, heralding the unknown. We finally understand that we have traveled North of Earthly Reason. 

Hannah Flowers was born on Tasmania’s rugged shores, and now makes her home in the misty mountains of Scotland, where the surrounding nature and rich history fuel her creative spirit. Flowers' figurative oil paintings follow instinct, allowing whim, wonder and the occasional touch of madness to lead the way. Her work is filled with an operatic exuberance for the ever sublime tension between beauty and terror. Often referencing historical art movements such as the baroque, the pre-Raphaelites, the symbolists, and medieval illuminated manuscripts, she also looks to her own garden for plants, flowers and animals to include in her work. A taste for the theatrical is grounded by a love and connection to the natural world. With a great appreciation for her materials, craft and time honoured techniques, her practice celebrates the carefully handmade object as a defence of the human touch and a vital nourishment for the soul.