Cherie Jerrard’s The Show Must Go On
There’s a built-in phone box in Cherie Jerrard’s studio. It sits tucked inside a repurposed framing shop in Shropshire, a space that hums with history, texture, and creative freedom. “This is my first studio since designing clothes in Shoreditch,” Cherie explains. “Even then, I had to consider the mess and implications of a deposit. This old framing studio is mine, there’s even a built-in phone box. As soon as I saw it, I felt an energy to create, and the release is evident in my new work; much less cautious.”
It’s from this liberated studio space that Cherie’s debut gallery collection, The Show Must Go On, emerges, six bold, movement-led Clown pieces that are theatrical, layered, and unapologetically human. These aren’t clowns for comic relief. They’re mirrors, masks, and moments of truth, capturing the tension between performance and vulnerability, control and release, poise and chaos.
The Clowns That Began It All
Cherie’s fascination with clowns stretches back to childhood. “The first drawing my family celebrated was a clown holding a balloon, I must have been about six. That moment fuelled me to keep drawing,” she recalls. The Clowns in this collection carry echoes of that early curiosity and joy, but they also speak to a lifetime of performing for others. Years spent designing garments for clients, navigating the constraints of fashion, and interpreting someone else’s vision now inform the work.
“Ironically depicting this is my first taste of freedom. And I’m running with it,” Cherie says. The Clowns become a conduit for exploring identity, vulnerability, and the masks we all wear, both online and in life.
A Process of Chaos and Control
Cherie’s approach is as layered as her compositions. Each piece balances construction with spontaneity, control with release.
“I have two processes: one constructed, one spontaneous. The artwork emerges, I refine it, and then add more chaos. It’s a push and pull between control and release.”
Some works begin with carefully constructed wooden-panel backgrounds, inspired by street art and a precision-driven eye honed through years in fashion illustration. Others emerge instinctively, responding to shapes, textures, and the unpredictability of materials. Ink, charcoal, torn paper, vintage ephemera, doodled cheques, all collide to create figures that feel alive and in motion.
Cherie has deliberately turned her back on digital tools. “Having spent years honing digital techniques, I have almost fully turned my back on computer-aided design. This was my childhood dream.” Each mark, each layer, each playful imperfection is hand-made, and that is what makes these pieces so singular.
Vulnerability and Visual Poetry
At the heart of The Show Must Go On is vulnerability. Cherie’s clowns are not perfect; they are messy, human, and fully felt.
“We are all so fucking vulnerable, trying to be so many things to so many people. The sadness is under the eyes. The Clowns let us step back and embrace imperfection.”
In every brushstroke, torn edge, and pasted fragment, Cherie captures the quiet tension between the persona we show to the world and the self we keep hidden. Costume, gesture, and expression collide, creating figures that are theatrical yet intimate, playful yet profoundly reflective.
Hidden Details for the Curious Eye
Part of the delight of Cherie’s work is discovering the subtle, hidden details. “I enjoy writing my name like a Japanese stamp, with the dot disrupting the square. Vintage ephemera, snippets of magic books or stage performer advice hide in the layers, little Sunday-afternoon discoveries.”
Collectors will find these touches woven throughout the collection, giving each piece a sense of discovery, playfulness, and personality.
A Debut Collection for Collectors
The Show Must Go On marks Cherie Jerrard’s debut with Seventh Circle Gallery, an introduction to a voice that is instinctive, expressive, and uncompromising. These six Clown pieces are limited, collectible, and full of life, each one a testament to artistic freedom and emotional truth.
Whether you’re drawn to the theatricality, the rawness, or the intricate layers of mark-making, this collection invites you to witness vulnerability made visible and perhaps, to embrace a little imperfection in your own life.
“I’m done whispering. This is what happens when you stop,” Cherie says.
Step into Cherie’s world. Discover The Show Must Go On, a celebration of mess, momentum, and the courage to keep going.
