Finders Keepers
Charly Helyar
Eloïse Dethier-Eaton
Curated by Adela Blanco
Presented as a collaboration between EDE Projects and Blanco Gallery, and curated by Adela Blanco, Finders Keepers brings together two exhibiting artists who make treasured objects from found material.
Eloïse Dethier-Eaton finds boards which have been left in skips or at the kerbside, deemed worthless and discarded, and then uses illusionistic trompe-l'œil painting techniques to disguise them as different materials. In doing so, she gives them a second lease of life and challenges the preconceived notions of value and hierarchy that we assign to materials.
Charly Helyar makes small jewel-like paintings, small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, nestled inside found and repurposed furniture scraps. These depict tender domestic moments with devotion. Through simple acts of preservation, everyday moments become cherished memories, in the same way that found objects can become treasure through the eyes of their beholder.
These artworks acquire a particular resonance as they are exhibited in Rye, a town where foragers, magpies, antique dealers and treasure hunters abound.
The exhibition is open from the 28.08.26 to 20.09.26
At EDE Projects, 4 Cinque Ports Street, TN31 7AD
London
Private View: Friday 28 August, 18:00 - 20:00
The Artists
Charly Helyar
Charly Helyar is a British contemporary artist whose practice deeply explores the human condition, existential struggle, and interpersonal connection through dynamic figurative and abstract work. Grounded in the rigorous discipline of observational drawing—which acts as the backbone to her process—she translates life sketches, memory, and art history into evocative studio paintings. Her work spans an extraordinary range of scale, from miniature oil paintings on copper to vast, immersive installations such as General Situation (2025) and live performance pieces like Cleanse (2024). Driven by a meticulous approach to craft, Helyar frequently prepares her own gesso and paints, using vibrant colour relationships and multi-layered compositions to confront heavy themes such as ageing, sexuality, and conflict with striking visual energy.
Eloïse Dethier-Eaton
Eloïse Dethier-Eaton is a Belgo-British artist and curator whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, paper marbling, printmaking, and photography. Rooted in the still-life genre, her work uses pattern and composition to unearth the narratives behind objects while exploring critical environmental issues such as plastic pollution and fast fashion. A Goldsmiths and City & Guilds of London Art School graduate—and former Decorative Surfaces fellow—she seamlessly merges fine art with traditional craftsmanship. Alongside her studio practice, Dethier-Eaton actively curates compelling narrative exhibitions, writes for art publications, and manages EDE Projects, a hybrid studio and gallery space in Rye, East Sussex, which she founded to showcase her own work alongside contemporary artists.
