Jack Coulter has returned to London with With Every Light and With Every Song, a new solo exhibition presenting 25 previously unseen abstract paintings.
Presented by Winsor Birch at Gallery 8 in St James’s, the exhibition marks Coulter’s first public showcase in three years. The new works continue his exploration of sound, colour and emotion, drawing inspiration from musicians including The Beatles, The Supremes, Amy Winehouse and Olivia Dean.
Jack Coulter Turns Music Into Colour
Coulter has synaesthesia, a neurological condition that causes him to experience sound as vivid colour. However, his paintings are not literal visualisations of individual songs.
Instead, music provides a starting point for translating emotion through energetic layers of colour, texture, and movement. Consequently, each painting reflects the artist’s personal response to sound rather than attempting to reproduce a specific musical composition.
Coulter’s approach is informed by American Abstract Expressionism and its emphasis on gesture, colour, and emotional intensity. His influences include Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko.
Meanwhile, Joan Mitchell has played a particularly important role in his practice. Mitchell was also a synesthete and described the condition as her “secret magic,” a phrase that has become closely associated with her understanding of colour and perception.
From Elton John Performance to New Gallery Exhibition
The London exhibition follows Coulter’s recent live-painting performance with Sir Elton John. During the collaboration, Coulter created a work inspired by “Tiny Dancer”, which was sold in March 2026 to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Elton John and David Furnish described Coulter’s new collection as “deeply personal and widely resonant.” They also said, “Jack’s paintings invite us to join him in seeing the world differently.”
As a result, With Every Light and With Every Song extend Coulter’s exploration of how music can become a visual and emotional language. The exhibition also places his contemporary practice within a wider history of abstract painting shaped by colour, gesture, and subjective perception.
With Every Light and With Every Song is on view at Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James’s, London, through August 9, 2026. Admission is free, and the gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.