Bournemouth resident Gerald Mahood is set to host his first solo show in the UK after only recently having met his birth mother, a pivotal moment that has shaped his artwork today.
In a feature written by The Guardian in 2022, it explained how Mr Mahood only learned of his pre-adoption name at the age of 60, having lived as Chris Fraser for the majority of his life.
It’s understood that he was born in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, adopted and at the age of three, he moved to south-west England.
Despite always knowing he was adopted, Mr Mahood understood that he would never know his biological mother and would frequently hit a wall when searching for information.
This was due to not having a birth certificate and his adoptive parents opposing questions about his past.
However, in 2018 his adoptive mother had a fall, and when gathering clothes from her wardrobe to take to the hospital, he found a piece of paper that listed family names and birth dates.
After finding his birth date was not what he thought, he decided to give it one more chance and began the search for his birth mother once more, following the death of his adoptive mother in 2020.
A social worker located his then 92-year-old birth mother in Northern Ireland and after Covid restrictions were lifted, Mr Mahood went over to meet her and described it ‘like looking in a mirror’ when locking eyes.
Having trained at Falmouth School of Art, he went on to teach English as a foreign language in many schools.
Additionally, he was previously exhibiting work under Chris Fraser at the Sao Paulo Parliamentary Building.
Despite having an artistic background, Mr Mahood’s told The Guardian that his reconnection with his mother sparked ‘something spiritual’ and he returned to taking his painting ‘seriously’ and with ‘real joy’.
He said: “Meeting my biological family really galvanized me and brought everything sharply into focus.”
He has now transitioned his artist name to Gerald Mahood and creates colour-soaked paintings which are often meditations on nature and landscapes.
Since meeting his birth mother, he has concentrated on producing joyful, colour-filled paintings that uplift and welcome the viewer into his ‘harmonious’ world.
Mr Mahood will be hosting his exhibition ‘overleaf underneath’ at The Factory Space in Christchurch Road, from April 3 to April 22, opening from 10am to 4pm on Tuesdays to Sundays.
