Lilies and Illusions brings together new paintings created by Cornwall-based artist Ben Sanderson, alongside wall paintings made in collaboration with a group of children Casey, Christina, Esme, Hettie, Holly, Imogen, Kes, Lilly, Lucas, Matilda, Mymie, Muzammil, Noah, Osgar, Sophie, Tilly & Wren who took part in summer art and movement sessions held at Harbour House. These sessions were run in partnership with Kingsbridge Foodbank and Kingsbridge Community Primary School. The workshops form part of a wider community programme at Harbour House that champions creative wellbeing and access to the arts for local families.

Guiding us through the exhibition are large-scale wall drawings, made during a week of workshops led by Ben in summer 2025 with the group of local children. These collaborative works, bursting with energy and imagination reflect a spirit of play, exploration, and collective creativity, offering a celebration of new perspectives and new life.

In contrast, a series of often small, intimate paintings by Ben offer a slower, quieter counterpoint. Made in his studio between the time of his mother’s diagnosis and the months following her passing, these small works often capture a moment of anticipation, such as pool balls before a break. These works feel like frozen moments, spaces where time slows down to snapshots of memory and grief.

The exhibition also features a film by Ben’s close friend Naomi Frears, whose exhibition The Days of the Future Stand Before Us took place at Harbour House in 2024.  Naomi’s film follows Ben working in his studio and offers a reflective, behind-the-scenes look at his process during this significant period in his life and practice.

There is also a self-guided drawing activity in the gallery, inviting visitors to create illustrations of flowers or birds, framed within their own custom border designs.

Across its different elements, Lilies and Illusions explores pace — how we move, how we pause, and the different ways in which we experience the passing of time in a moment of grief. It invites visitors to slow down and to consider how we begin to comprehend the vastness of things like loss, memory and joy, not all at once, but moment by moment.