On the occasion of Flourish: Gestural Abstractions in Bloom–the first exhibition in Ronchini Gallery‘s new Mayfair space–Culturalee interviews artist Michele Fletcher.
The all-female group show brings together four artists from three continents during London’s Frieze Week, highlighting the power of gesture and abstraction as a universal language. Fletcher’s work reflects on how painting can mirror the rhythms of nature–growth, change, and transformation–not through direct representation, but through movement and atmosphere. Her intuitive process begins with free, open gestures that evolve into compositions alive with energy and open to interpretation.
You’re showing work in Flourish: Gestural Abstractions in Bloom, the first exhibition in Ronchini’s new Mayfair space. Did you create new pieces specifically for the show, and beyond responding to the theme, did the character of the building itself influence your work in any way?
The paintings for this show were selected from my current, ongoing body of work by the directors. I am excited to see them hanging in Ronchini’s new space in Mayfair.
Have you crossed paths with any of the other exhibiting artists before, and do you see a visual or thematic conversation unfolding between your works in the space?
Yes. I saw a solo show of Connie’s wonderful paintings in 2023. I’ve been following Shara’s work for some time and I look forward to seeing them in the flesh. I have had a studio next to the lovely Shuang for a year. I love her dynamic and intense paintings. I think our individual responses to the natural world are each unique and I will enjoy the interplay between the works when they are hung in the new space.
The show brings together artists whose practices weave together gestural abstraction, floral motifs, and references to landscape. Could you share a bit about the work you’re presenting, what inspired it and how it came to life in the studio?
My paintings explore how gesture can echo the rhythms of nature through growth, change, and transformation. Rather than painting flowers or landscapes directly, I let those impressions surface through movement and atmosphere. In the studio, the process is intuitive, beginning with free gestures and evolving into compositions that feel alive and open to interpretation.” Michele Fletcher
It’s exciting to see four women artists from three continents coming together in a prominent London gallery during Frieze Week. How important is it to you to see platforms like this supporting women and artists from diverse cultural backgrounds?
It feels very meaningful to be part of an exhibition that highlights women artists and brings together voices from such diverse cultural perspectives, especially during a moment as visible as Frieze Week. Opportunities like this are important to me because they not only expand the conversation around contemporary art, but also challenge the structures that have historically limited which voices get heard. It’s exciting for me to be in a show where different generations, experiences, languages, and ways of seeing can flourish side by side.
Flourish: Gestural Abstractions in Bloom is at Ronchini Gallery in London from 16th October until 12th December, 2025.
