The artist Arthur Timothy lives between London and Bath, but he grew up in Sierra Leone. Its capital—Freetown—was built in 1792, as a settlement for liberated slaves. Despite its name, life wasn’t easy in the city. Ebola, civil war, and colonialism ravaged its population, leaving behind poverty and hardship. In 1985, Timothy began taking snapshots of Freetown as the basis for paintings that accent the city’s charm and resilience. Glimpses of street life—flora and fauna sneaking into buildings; quaint views from his grandmother’s house—are testaments to its great beauty. “Nature is kind of eating away at it all,” he explains, “almost every year you have to rebuild or re-paint it, a further reminder of the country’s sustained state of metamorphosis and the ongoing triumph of beauty.” Timothy’s mesmerizing images make up this exhibition. —Elena Clavarino