Henny Acloque | Circumstances
4 November 2010 – 4 December 2010
First Floor Projects is delighted to present an exhibition of paintings by Henny Acloque. Taking Bruegel’s sixteenth century Tarot cards as her principle influence, Henny Acloque produces startling images that, once seen, are difficult to forget: sombre figures in red cloaks stand with heads lowered amidst Bruegel’s dark and foreboding landscapes. The artist confesses to feeling ‘nervous’ standing in front of Bruegel’s paintings, and Acloque’s work – peppered with skulls and meat cleavers – possesses an ominous and disturbing aura.
Far from merely imitating Bruegel’s style, however, Henny Acloque has made the images her own. There is a vibrant energy in her work that she attributes to her ‘obsession’ with Spain, and the ‘raw culture’ she finds there. A land of bullfighting and flamenco dancing, Acloque is also fascinated by the religious fervour she witnessed at events such as Semana Santa, and pointed blood-red hats feature prominently in her work, which are undoubtedly symbols of that passionate display of penance. These hats also provide an additional function, shielding all faces from view. The heads of figures in all Acloque’s work are replaced with either a skull, a pointed hat, or a tessellated cluster or circles that completely obscure the figures’ identity: we feel we know these characters, recognising them from well-known tarot scenes, and yet we are not permitted to know them – we never see their face.
The artist’s decision to heavily varnish her work unifies the layers of paint, and gives the images a plastic, tangible quality. Yet instead of appearing ‘shut’ or complete, the colours seem to jump, springing from canvases, assaulting the viewer with their exuberance. Similarly, far from producing a static effect, the resin reflects the viewer, giving the painting movement, and the viewer’s implication in often shocking scenes is intentionally unnerving.
Henny Acloque deliberately chose to remain ignorant of the precise meanings behind each of Bruegel’s tarot cards. By allowing herself simply to react to the images, the artist encourages a conflict between the conscious action and the instinctive response, between the knowing and the unknown, the sombre figures in their recognisable landscapes versus the vibrant and bewitching ‘other’. Visitors leave an exhibition of Henny Acloque’s work knowing a little less but feeling a little more.
---Henny Acloque was born in 1979 and lives and works in London. She completed her BA (Hons) in Fine Art at the University of West England and has since gone on to exhibit in London, Liverpool and Berlin. In 2008 she undertook a residency with Zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has most recently exhibited with Ceri Hand Gallery, both in Liverpool and in London.
This is the third exhibition of First Floor Projects. From his London home, James Tregaskes heralds a return to the salon, presenting and dealing art in a residential space.
hannah@firstfloorprojects.com
10th December 2009 – 30th January 2010
First Floor Projects is pleased to present the first solo exhibition in London of artist Ann-Marie James.
Embracing the idea of restriction, both conceptually and literally, James’ series of ten drawings, ‘Limited Means’, was completed using a single blue biro, taking as its subject matter the fragility of the human form.
In deliberately setting such constraints, James finds an unexpected vocabulary of marks and the fidelity of line in the most egalitarian and modest of mediums.
Referring to anatomical illustrations, from such sources as Henry Gray’s seminal volume, each drawing combines detailed and precise renderings of bones and organs in elegant and unexpected forms, both organic and geometric. The consistency of the colour, the use of symmetry and the delicacy of line evoke both traditional engravings and the aesthetic of Spode china.
Finding beauty in darkness, these grave images are at once romantic and macabre.
In addition to ‘Limited Means’ James will also present a number of works in graphite and related small sculpture.
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Ann-Marie James was born in 1981 and lives and works in London. She completed her BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in 2004 and has since gone on to exhibit in France, Venezuela, Portugal and the United States. In 2006 she undertook a residency and solo exhibition with Lantana Projects in Memphis, Tennessee, and has most recently exhibited in the Westminster Open 2009 and at The Mews Project Space, London.
This is the second exhibition of First Floor Projects. From his London home, James Tregaskes heralds a return to the salon, presenting and dealing art in a residential space.
hannah@firstfloorprojects.com
Lucy Barlow | Delicate Boundaries
Exhibition Extended to 30 May 2009
'For a long time I've been the girl who does the drawings of birds and cakes'.
First Floor Projects are delighted to present Delicate Boundaries, a solo show of work by Lucy Barlow. Shedding a formal narrative, Lucy Barlow’s new collection of abstract watercolour, gouache landscapes and fine art drawings reveal a significant departure from her previous work, ‘I am still in control, but it is less controlling than my previous work. It is expansive. I am still a spectator, still questioning, but without the questions impeding on the natural progression of the work itself.’
The fine art drawings are reminiscent of her previous whimsical illustrations, which she describes as ‘contained, formal compositions…very controlled, very fine, lyrical line drawings’. But this control, she indicates was a metaphorical boundary. Her new drawings have evolved; by using coloured or lead pencils on paper, dip pens and inks filled in with watercolour, she creates wonderfully witty, tongue in cheek drawings such as >Bears Say No that participate in the negative space around them, and that still exhibit some of her old humour; ‘there is a childish part of me that doesn’t want to give up the ghost, or stop being silly’.
Intuitive colour placement ensures Barlow’s abstracts remain anti-formulaic, creating a tense sense of push and pull between the background and foreground. This way of working with colour, Barlow believes, was inspired by Helen Frankenthaler’s unprimed canvases, ‘vast vistas and sea, so alive they breathe’. Moments in time are captured but remain fluid through the depth of tension between Barlow’s colours; paintings such as Fire Ladders fizz with freshness and light. Lucy Barlow’s work possesses an intentional sense of the unresolved – ‘there are questions that have no answers, and I am trying to reflect this without the ends being tied up perfectly in a bow’.
The work of Louise Bourgeois encouraged Barlow to experiment with materials and engage in a constant monologue with herself, while using her work as therapy. ‘I used to feel guilty and selfish, so self-indulgent, being an artist’ she says, ‘but the Bourgeois show really reminded me of the importance of creativity and the arts in the world. There is a wonderful freedom of expression.’ Time, not frozen but physically ‘gestural’, creates a moment for dialogue between the visual work and the viewer – the paintings encourage an accessing, even an embracing of the dormant parts of oneself. ‘The communication of the visual bypasses words’ says Barlow, something she experiences first-hand when encountering work by Louise Bourgeois. In response to this lesson she has learnt from Bourgeois, Barlow’s work searches for ‘chaos and imperfection, while finding comfort within that formless, liberating way of working’.
Lucy Barlow studied at Central St. Martins, and her work featured in group shows at the Modern Art Oxford (2004) and the Institute of Contemporary Art (2005). Since graduating from Oxford Brookes University in 2006, Lucy Barlow has participated in several collaborative shows, including Obsessions at Modern Art Oxford (2008) and Sarah Brown and Lucy Barlow, Oxford Town Hall (2009). This is her first solo show.
This is the inaugural exhibition of First Floor Projects. From his London home, James Tregaskes will host a variety of exhibitions by new contemporary artists. The gallery heralds a return to the salon, presenting and dealing art in a residential space.
For further information please contact Hannah Magor
hannah@firstfloorprojects.com
Kindly supported by Primrose Bakery
