Pat Douthwaite’s surreal Apples Kabuki exhibition is a must-see
A rare chance to see Douthwaite’s full lithograph series at The Worm gallery.
There’s something playful and unsettling about Pat Douthwaite’s work. Her drawings often feel surreal, theatrical, or just plain strange, but never too serious. Now, for the first time since 1988, her full Apples Kabuki lithograph series is on display at The Worm gallery until 28 June.
These prints were first shown at The Third Eye Centre in Glasgow and have rarely been seen since. Best known for her paintings, Douthwaite only explored printmaking a few times. For Apples Kabuki, she used an old lithography method, drawing straight onto metal plates with greasy crayon and ink wash.
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About the artist
Douthwaite was born in Glasgow in 1934. She taught herself to paint after training in dance and mime, and spent time among poets and painters before choosing a quieter, more independent life from the 1970s onwards. Her work is shaped by the people she met and the places she lived, but it doesn’t explain itself. It asks you to feel your way through it.
Apples Kabuki was inspired by Japanese theatre, but soon heads into stranger places. It starts with calm portraits of women in kimono, then shifts into scenes full of skulls, scars, birds and strange creatures — part real, part imagined.
Unusual, bold and full of character
Her son, Toby Hogarth, said Douthwaite once called herself “The High Priestess of the grotesque”. That mix of humour and weirdness runs through the whole series. Some prints feel cartoon-like, with scribbled text and stretched figures, while others are more serious. The series doesn’t tell a story, but each print carries its own mood, slowly building tension and unease.
This is a rare chance to spend time with work that’s bold, original and not quite like anything else. Find out more details about the exhibition and the artist at Peacock and The Worm.
