The Long Memory

Robin Dixon

19 September - 25 October 2026

The Lido Stores is pleased to present The Long Memory, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Robin Dixon, opening 19 September 2026.

The exhibition takes its title from the 1953 British crime thriller shot in Gravesend, where the artist now lives, and along the Thames estuary – a film remembered for its atmosphere and praised by critics for its spirit of place and its handling of landscape. Where the phrase references revenge in the film, Dixon takes it somewhere else entirely: towards memory itself, and the way particular places hold the residue of different times.

Dixon works from evocative old postcards, found photographs, film stills and his own images, piecing together figures and settings drawn from unrelated sources. The paintings that emerge are concerned with the relationship between figure and place. Groups of characters are assembled into scenes that suggest a history or a narrative without ever spelling one out, composed for rhythm, movement and the interaction between figures. As the work develops it is simplified and worked over, becoming steadily less site-specific and more timeless.

Robin Dixon received a BA in Fine Art from Maidstone College of Art (KIAD) in 1989. Dixon has exhibited in group shows in the UK and internationally, and was selected for the Jerwood Painting Prize exhibition (2007) and the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition (2014). Recent exhibitions include An Exhibition of Small Things with Big Ideas, White Conduit Projects, London; Let's Get Lost, The Wild Thought, Sugar Cube II and The Lido Open at The Lido Stores, Margate; The Wells Art Contemporary Open; The Turner Contemporary Open; The Immaculate Dream, Collyer Bristow Gallery, London; and Solitudes and Seasons, ARB, Cambridge. He lives and works in Gravesend and London.

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Exhibition Programme

Autumn 2026

  • The Long Memory

    Robin Dixon

    19 Sept. - 25 Oct. 2026

    PV Sat., 19 Sept., 7-9pm

    A solo presentation by Robin Dixon of enigmatic and emotive paintings - his work is fresh and confident, whilst also suitably ambiguous to allow the viewer to project their own history, and family history, onto the scenes and characters depicted.

    Using film stills and found photography as a starting point, memory and personal history is suggested through layering of characters and landscape, alongside an emotive use of colour. The work touches on the present in relation to the past and how nuanced this can be.

    Robin Dixon studied Fine Art at Maidstone College of Art (KIAD), and now lives and works between Gravesend and London. Robin has exhibited in group shows in the U.K and internationally, being selected for the Jerwood Painting Prize exhibition (2007) and the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition (2014). Recent shows include 'An Exhibition of Small Things with Big Ideas', White Conduit Projects, London; ‘Let’s Get Lost’, ’The Wild Thought' at Lido Stores, Margate; The Wells Art Contemporary Open.

  • Winter Show

    21 Artists

    7 Nov. - 23 Dec. 2026

    PV Sat., 7 November, 7-9pm

    Our annual group exhibition features new work by a selection of 25 of our gallery artists. All work is affordably priced under £500 and available for removal on the day of purchase. Sold work will be replaced and the curation adjusted, creating a changeable, fluid display over the entire duration of the exhibition.

    Always a super fun way to see the year out, this exhibition is an example of what we do best at The Lido Stores. Dynamic curation and exceptional work, made accessible for all.

    Exhibiting artists:

    Rae Birch Carter | Alice Carr | Lesley Greening-lassoff | Chris Hagan | Kristen Healy | Elisa Hudson | Mandy Hudson | Davina Jackson | R&F Mo | Susan Montgomery | Sam Ng | Sarah Praill | Toby Rainbird | Kim Scouller | Mary Claire Smith | Fiona Stewart | Ilona Szalay | Karen Thomas | Geoff Tibbs | Ben Walker | Dylan White

    Curated by Kristen Healy.

  • Echo

    Jason Mulligan

    7 Nov. - 23 Dec. 2026

    PV Sat., 7 November, 7-9pm

    Carved from stone but shaped by ancient geological forces, these sculptures occupy a space between the natural and the imagined. Their rounded, elemental edges evoke talismans, votive objects and symbols whose meanings lie somewhere beyond words.

    Each carries the presence of its material, the traces of deep time, the memory of the earth and the quiet power of the natural world. Neither wholly figurative nor entirely abstract, they invite a sense of recognition without revealing exactly what is recognised.

    Jason Mulligan is a contemporary stone sculptor based in Kent whose practice is rooted in a deep engagement with archaeology, anthropology, and the enduring presence of cultural artefacts. Since a formative visit to the marble quarries of Carrara in 1996, stone has remained central to his artistic language, informing a body of work that balances material integrity with a sense of mystery and timelessness.

    Mulligan was elected a Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 2008. He holds a BA (Hons) Fine Art from the University of Northumbria and has exhibited extensively throughout the UK in both solo and group exhibitions. Notable exhibitions include Larger than Life at Messums West (2023), On Form at Asthall Manor (2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022), the Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition, the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden, and Withiel Sculpture. His sculptures have also been featured in major outdoor exhibitions across the UK.