June 15 – August 30, 2020.
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An expansive warmth floods the seams of The Hall, enveloping the viewer as they hop between the sinuous celadon lines of Mandy El-Sayegh over to the nuanced topography of Gabriel Hartley. Brought together around considerations of landscape – those expanses of land that nourish the soul and fill the chest – are Mark Corfield-Moore (b. 1988, Thailand), Mandy El-Sayegh (b. 1985, Malaysia), Gabriela Giroletti (b. 1982, Brazil), Gabriel Hartley (b. 1981, United Kingdom), Gerhard Marx (b. 1976, South Africa) and Makoto Ofune (b. 1977, Japan). Splintered across the vast, towering, open space each work acts as a punctuation, a moment of suspended contemplation that is met and enhanced by a new musical composition by Nico Muhly. Stepping into this virtual space, the cartographic collages by Gerhard Marx hint to navigation, the discovery of a place, populated by the anthropomorphic forms of Gabriela Giroletti and the vivacious tangerine hues of Mark Corfield-Moore. The sea, how it titters, toys and caresses the edges of land, are brought to the fore by Makoto Ofune, the traces left on sand as the waves retreat, evoked by Gabriel Hartley.
b. 1983, United States. Selection, partial movement, 2018. Oil on linen. 243.8 x 182.9 cm. Courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery.
Selection, partial movement, (2018) by Dashiell Manley is an abstract composition of thickly applied paint shaped with a palette knife. Vividly pastel gradients of yellow, orange and blue emerge out of the highly textured surface. Irregular marks disturb the tightly packed procession of bold strokes that dominate the painting. This work is a reflection of Dashiell’s personal meditations that explore his experiences within contemporary global events. The experimentation of boundaries between material, mark, and picture plane reflect the artist’s introspective inquisition of his emotional and psychic reactions.
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b. 1991, Ireland. Pinecone, 2019. Oil on Canvas. 40 x 30 cm.
In Pinecone (2019) by Helen McCusker, buoyantly irregular forms float on the pictorial space. Vividly coloured and dynamically placed shapes in touches of pink, blue, green, black, white, and orange hover over the warm, cream coloured surface. The juxtaposition of the solid filled shapes and linear figures add a sense of playful interaction within the amorphous composition. The painting is a wallpaper of narrative out of Helen’s favourite shapes and colours, which was inspired by the collections of intricate stories that she created with found objects during her childhood.
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b. 1984, Scotland. Cleave Too, 2018. Oil on Canvas board. 30 x 30 x 1.5cm. Courtesy of The Modern Institute.
Cleave Too (2018) is a dynamic abstract oil painting by Jack McConville (b. 1984, Scotland). Emerging from the yellow base, soft layers of lilac and turquoise hues intermix with dynamic and bold strokes of dark green and red. White and fading geometric shapes drop down from the top towards the middle. Each colour, texture, movement and shape simultaneously stand from and harmonise with the rest of the painting. Built with deft handling of paint, each mark and gesture of the painting reflects Jack’s rigorous examination of subject matter.
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b. 1988, Thailand, lives in London. Nitrous Flame, 2019. Dyed warp, hand-woven cotton (framed). 200 x 170 x 5cm.
Nitrous Flame (2019) by Mark Corfield-Moore (b. 1988, Thailand, lives in London) was inspired by 17th century firework prints. The exuberant red-orange dripping down the surface reminds of trails left behind by fireworks. Like weeping willows, the threads hang loosely over the intricately woven surface. Mark researched and mastered traditional yarn dyeing techniques from Thailand and Scotland. The unique and dynamic arrangement of the textile is a technique called Ikat and a product of Mark’s deep interest in revealing the cross-cultural and placeless nature of textile.
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b. 1985, Malaysia, lives in London. Windows 4 (to leave) and Windows 6 (leave), 2018. Ink on silk canvas. 205.7 x 139.7 x 2.5 cm, 207 x 140 x 2.5 cm. Courtesy of Lehmann Maupin.
In ‘Windows 4 (to leave)’ (2018) and Windows 6 (leave) by Mandy El-Sayegh (b. 1985, Malaysia, lives in London), meticulously drawn blue ink patterns fluidly flow on the silk canvases. The texture created by the twists and turns of the patterning combined with shades of blue evoke a sense of crystalline clarity. The coexistence of fluidity and stagnation revealed in the Windows series reflect Mandy’s deep interest in “part-whole relation,” the emergence of unintentional products through various small micro-interactions or repetitions.
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b. 1982, Brazil, lives London. At the Foot of the Mountain, 2018. Oil on canvas. 220 x 180 cm.
At the Foot of the Mountain (2018) by Gabriela Giroletti (b. 1982, Brazil, lives London) is a response to landscape. Pastel hues traverse the horizon, hovering between faint eggshell pink and lemon yellow. The overlapping tones and textures urge the reminiscence of a delicate dawn. Rising from the base, a series of rounded dark shapes outline an abstract mountain, their bulbous manner verging on the amorphous, echoing components of the human body. The work is reflective of Gabriela’s inspiration in the flora and fauna around us and her ability to capture the merging of humanity and nature.
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b. 1981, United Kingdom. Clouds of Grass, 2020 and Piero, 2020. Ink, acrylic and burn marks on carved plywood. 94.8 x 122.9 cm, 200.7 x 115.9 cm. Courtesy of Seventeen.
Clouds of Grass (2020) and Piero (2020) are two verdant paintings by Gabriel Hartley (b. 1981, United Kingdom) that evoke scenic landscapes. The paintings are constructed with dynamically delineated carvings and burn marks that texturise the canvases. In this process, the vibrant and rich hues of yellow, radiant shades of natural green and blue, and fiery red are brought forward. The layers of marks reflect Gabriel’s objective to create a contemplative experience for the viewer to freely interpret and reinterpret the visual language of his abstract works.
Rise, 2020. Ink, acrylic and burn marks on carved plywood. 298.2 x 147.3 cm. Courtesy of Seventeen.
Rise by Gabriel Hartley strikes a balance between delicate colour and rough texture. The gleaning surface resembles the sands of the beach that are cleared of water and reflect the sunlight. Lavender-tingled hues softly blend with the warm earth tones that span over the canvas. In contrast to the subtle colours, the bold markings that travel up and down the entire painting enrich and complicate the painting. This results in the fusion of seemingly opposing elements- a primary motif of Hartley’s practice.
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b. 1976, South Africa. Antaeus In Mid-Air, 2019. Reconfigured map fragments on acrylic- polyurethane ground and canvas. 180 x 220 cm. Courtesy of Goodman Gallery.
‘Antaeus In Mid-Air’ (2019) is a part of Ecstatic Cartography, a series of works made with reconfigured map fragments by Gerhard Marx (b. 1976, South Africa). Rising from the dark background, the structure made with old maps resembles an architectural blueprint mixed with a collage of living moments. As a tool for visual guidance, maps are meant to carry a sense of veracity and functionality, but they become obsolete when changes occur to the landscape that they are delineating. In this work, the map is both a material and metaphor. It shows Gerhard’s interest in exploring the different layers of what we know as truth.
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b. 1973, Japan, lives in London. Place, 2018. Acrylic gouache on Canvas. 140 x 163 cm Courtesy of Kate MacGarry.
Place (2018) by Peter McDonald visualises a moment of connection. Peter’s primary inspirations come from daily moments in modern life. The cutlery in the bottom of the painting alludes to a shared meal - an essential yet recurring ritual of our everyday lives that we experience with others. Softly shaped aquamarine, warm yellow, and coral figures transparently overlap and create new hues together. This overlap signifies the moment of connection between individuals. The carefully constructed and coloured forms also merge with the background, creating depth in the picture plane.
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b. 1983, United Kingdom. Long Ending (Ochre), 2019. Casein Paint and Scratches on Panel. 86.5 x 68 x 2.5 cm. Courtesy of Alma Zavi.
Long Ending (Ochre) (2019) by David Murphy alludes to the impact of human activity on the environment. Intricately compact white lines run horizontally across the painting and converge to create parallel zig-zags that dominate the composition. Astutely constructed marks and shapes add dimensionality to the otherwise flat surface, guiding path in the landscape. The light, wooden coloured surface is marked by intricate scratches that resemble tree rings, giving a sense of organic attribution to the work.
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b. 1977, Japan. Wave #97, 2014. Powdered mineral pigments on hemp paper, mounted on board. 115 x 235 cm. Courtesy of Olivier Malingue Gallery.
In WAVE #97 (2014) by Makoto Ofune (b. 1977, Japan) manifold shades of blue harmoniously create a sensory experience linked to the natural world: light, weather, time and seasons. The combination of traditional Japanese painting techniques with an abstract vocabulary creates an elaborate colour field imbued with lightness and movement. In Ofune’s practice, powdered mineral pigments known as iwa enogu areapplied to traditional Japanese hemp paper with nikawa, an animal gelatin glue. This technique enhances the vibrancy and depth of the original raw materials, creating intimate scenes that are both meditative and timeless.
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b. 1982, Austria. The Party is Over, 2017. Oil on Peva. 180 x 180 cm. Courtesy of Alma Zavi.
The Party is Over (2017) by Rade Petrasevic is a still-life with an eye-catching mix of colour and texture. While his process of picking the right colour palette for each painting is fastidious, Rade’s actual painting process is quite swift, drawing upon various ardent feelings that arise from his daily interactions. Strikingly saturated red effuses objects from everyday life, and the bold textures intensify the painting. Brushstrokes that look like streaks of marker pen dynamically weave in and out of the radiant colour that dominates the painting, giving a contemporary sense to a traditional subject matter like still-life.
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b. 1983 Poland, Lives in Lisbon. Untitled, 2019. Oil on Canvas. 20 x 31 cm.
Untitled (2019) by Rafal Topolewski is a painting made with soft gestures and pensive tones. Mauve edges and light coral on the center advance from the blue-gray that predominates the colour field. Translucent white layers glide over the surface, giving a sense of depth and motion to the abstract composition. The intention behind the painting was to create a hermetically sealed work, that is, a controlled sphere contrived by Rafal. Such approach gives it a sense of stillness and completeness to his work.
Trunk, 2018. Oil on Canvas. 180 x 130 cm.
Trunk (2018) by Rafal Topolewski is an imaginative domain that fosters a thoughtful approach. The duskiness of the surface is activated by marks that reveal a colorful composition behind the dark layers. The multicoloured surface seeps through, as it is carved out of the dark layer and thus directly exposed, showing how truth can manifest itself in different means. Furthermore, an eye-catching square in the right corner shows Rafal’s interest in building a new space for discussion regarding the deconstruction of truth
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b. 1971, Pakistan, lives in London. Ditto White 2018. Oil and screen print on linen. 130 x 95 cm.
A highly intricate sequence of networks fill Ditto White (2018) by Adia Wahid (b. 1971, Pakistan, lives in London). Adia’s drawings aim to mediate the passage between absence and presence by formulating and visualising the in-between of technology and the aesthetic. The repeating pattern is composed with perfectly juxtaposed rectangles that are placed on a vertical path, arrows placed to the left of these sequences and arrays of downward facing arrow shapes. The repeating dots that run down the centre of every small component of the procession gives the work a mechanical blueprint-like feeling.
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