Collection: The space we share

The Space We Share is a collection of paintings shaped by memory, place, and the quiet connections that stay with us across time. Heather Bailey’s work begins in childhood - growing up surrounded by tennis, family stories, and long South African summers. At the heart of the exhibition is the story of her parents, who met while studying in Cape Town. Over seven years, they became doubles partners, then best friends, and eventually fell in love.

Those stories became the backdrop to Heather’s own childhood on the South Coast of Natal, where she and her siblings spent their days at the local tennis club. She remembers the distinctive atmosphere of those years: playing tennis in tropical heat, holiday matches in the mountains and bushveld, and the rituals that happened around the game; ice-cold drinks, shared picnics on the lawns, waiting for the afternoon heat to soften.

These paintings are not simply about sport. They are about the spaces that hold us together. Heather invites viewers to reconnect with their own memories of summers, friendship, family traditions, and the feeling of belonging.