Hoxton Distillery presents It's Darkest Before Dawn, a exhibition featuring three painters, Patrick Cunningham, Gary Simmonds and Robert Wilson, who share an interest in retinal imagery, but also reflect on the history of modernist painting. It's Darkest Before Dawn has been organised by John Hanson and Richard Paul.
Patrick Cunningham's '101' features a grid of 101 small Ultramarine or
Cobalt Blue paintings. To establish the position of each individual
painting, the artist tossed a coin 101 times.
Result: 48 Cobalt Blue paintings (heads) and 53 Ultramarine Blue paintings (tails)
Continued to infinity this process would result in an equal number of each
colour; a mathematical certainty that frames the work-a random sample.
Gary Simmonds uses an ornamental grid to create large vibrant paintings that
appear, on first encounter, to be solely concerned with aspects of colour in
a classic 50's way. Certainly, there is a parallel with the mass production
hues of that period. Come closer and see that the charming wallpaper stars
are made by smearing paint rather than by using a brush; the factory colours
somehow tawdry and fatigued. The most recent pieces use a dark or back
ground, forming a dense kaleidoscope - both claustrophobic and nostalgic.
Robert Wilson's paintings are derived from partially developed polaroids.
They are intented to exact some physical/optical effort from the viewer; to
be antagonistic, but ultimately rewarding. Images slowly reveal themselves,
like exiting the cinema into bright daylight.
IMAGE:
Patrick Cunningham
100 Paintings
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