Reflections On A Book: New Paintings by Chris Gollon

About

Taking Tamsin Pickeral's recent book as a starting point, Gollon created 16 new works. These latest works reflect on his 20-year journey as an artist. Pickeral's illuminating appraisal inspired the artist to pull everything together from the past, while embarking on what is arguably his most experimental period to date. Gollon's expressly unique and imaginative approach to painting the human form is still present in these latest works but there is a shift away from the static figures depicting the 'soul' that formed the 'Being Human' series to something far more naturalistic. Taking one of the most historic artistic traditions, the nude, Gollon creates a dreamy movement for the first time. Voluminous and very real, these figures co-exist with abstraction, bringing a poetic beauty to the new work. The matt blacks seem infinite and unsettling, yet remain strangely beautiful.

An established name in British painting, Chris Gollon is also showing until 3rd December with Tracey Emin, Anthony Gormley and Henry Moore, in 'COMMISSION' at Wallspace, London Wall, City of London. Born London 1953, he has enjoyed many solo museum exhibitions in the UK, museum acquisitions and public commissions. He has exhibited at Art Chicago and also with Yoko Ono, David Bowie and Gavin Turk in ROOT, a crossover exhibition of contemporary music and art created by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, at Chisenhale Gallery, London. His work is attracting increasing acclaim in the national press, specialist arts press and Alan Yentob's BBC1 programme Imagine. His film collaboration with JABOD, entitled Kaleidomorphism One, was premiered in London at the East End Film Festival (2008). Novelist Sara Maitland's book Stations of the Cross (Continuum, London & New York, 2009) was wholly inspired by and features Gollon's 14 paintings of the Stations of the Cross, which were commissioned by the Church of England for a grade-one listed Sir John Soane church in East London. Chris Gollon: Humanity in Art by art historian Tamsin Pickeral (Hyde & Hughes) and endorsed by Bill Bryson OBE, was published in 2010. Chris Gollon was both First Artist in Residence and Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Study (2009), Durham University, and has accepted an invitation to return as Artist in Residence at St Mary's College in spring 2011. Chris Gollon lives and works in Surrey, and is represented by IAP Fine Art, London.

For all enquiries or images, please contact: info@iapfineart.com