Modern Bathers Brighton

Hi Alej Ez, we are delighted you are the May 2026 brochure cover artist. Can you tell us how it felt for you?
When my name was announced as the 2026 AOH Brochure Cover artist, it felt electric. Having participated in AOH for over twenty years, I understand the recognition and the potential that this award has as my design becomes the face of the AOH festival, seen by thousands of art lovers around town.

Would you like to tell us about the ideas and inspiration behind the brochure cover image and related works?
The cover image is called  Modern Bathers Brighton: Two friends at Sea Lanes, a heated outdoor swimming pool for training, enjoy a moment before they start their swim. Bathed in the sun, the seafront city of Brighton shimmers and salutes the light. The protagonists of this part of the city are represented by the Volks Railway, the Royal Crescent, the Marine Parade buildings, the Madeira Terrace Victorian arches and, in the distance, just discernible, the Victorian Palace Pier and the i360 tower.

This design references the tradition of bathing by one of Brighton’s most famous historical characters, Martha Gunn, who is buried in St Nicholas churchyard. I am also a passionate swimmer,  in the sea during the summer and year-round in the pool, training for competitions with my swimming club. And then what do you think of the technologies of swimsuits? This is without doubt a modern invention that takes us to this word in my title, Modern Bathers, which has taken me half a year to complete. This print is my expression of my love for swimming, architecture, and the depiction of the human form.

Modern Bathers sits within my series of prints, People and Places, Revelations of Love, which reflects on the Norfolk anchoress Julian of Norwich’s book Revelations of Divine Love.
The other two prints in this series are:

Angel Basketball