Clare Woods: Monument

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The industrial process of lithography is turned on its head by leading British painter Clare Woods to produce large-scale one-off works using a diesel powered road roller. The four monumental prints in this exhibition are inspired by alabaster tombs on the Harewood House estate in Yorkshire. At first the artist's marks seem to map the natural forms of a landscape, but the lines of a sculpted face soon begin to appear. The women of these ancient tombs are renamed by Woods with the titles of songs by Leonard Cohen, Billy Bragg, The Smiths and Jarvis Cocker. Suzanne, Shirley, Sylvia and Sheila become timeless figures. The walls of the gallery are filled with what may be the largest ever lithographic prints. These are being exhibited alongside preparatory drawings and photographs, for the first time. Clare Woods is one of Britain's most important contemporary painters. Her work is held in the permanent collections of National Museum Wales, Arts Council and British Council. She has had solo exhibitions at Southampton City Art Gallery (2012), The Hepworth Wakefield, (2011), The Chisenhale Gallery, London (2006). In 2012 Woods was selected for a major commission at the Olympic Park.