Blind artist prepares for first solo exhibition

Bianca Raffaella's first solo exhibition takes place at Flowers Gallery in London

A partially sighted artist from Kent is preparing for her debut solo exhibition at a prestigious London gallery.

Bianca Raffaella, from Margate, became the first registered blind student to earn a degree in visual arts from Kingston University.

A recent graduate of the Tracey Emin Artist Residency, she "creates evocative paintings inspired by memory and sensory cues rather than direct observation".

Faint Memories, which features textured flower paintings that "reflect her experience of beauty through braille", will be on display at Flowers Gallery in London for a month from 12 February.

Faint Memories reflects the artist's 'experience of beauty through braille'

Ms Raffaella described her artwork as "deeply personal and complex".

She said she hoped the exhibition would "shed light on my experiences as a visually impaired artist".

She said she wanted to make her work "accessible and relatable to all viewers".

A spokesperson for Flowers Gallery said: "As a visually impaired artist, Raffaella's ephemeral, floral works draw viewers into her unique perspective.

"Her pieces capture fleeting moments suspended in persistent vision, where her sight is in constant motion, and images appear only briefly as faint shadows or flickers of light.

Bianca Raffaella (right) is a recent graduate of the Tracey Emin Artist Residency

Ms Raffaella said her work "explores themes of memory, perception, and fragility, inviting viewers to slow down, observe closely, and engage with delicate details that might otherwise go unnoticed".

Artist Tracey Emin, who is also based in Margate, said: "I immediately fell in love with her painting, something so strange and otherworldly.

"She paints how she sees, fragments of shape and light form a dappled surface of rich memories and emotions.

"Bianca's work is beautiful."

The exhibition runs until 15 March.