About
Millennium is proud to be hosting 'Three Waters' a major solo exhibition of new paintings from Mark Surridge.
As the artist comments âThe paintings do not try to explain their subject but strive to suggest the sensations and feelings found when in nature.' Energetically hurling and pouring caburundum, paint and pigment on to the wet painted surface of the canvas, Surridge has created 'landscape' paintings that focus on light, movement, elemental forces and the void like expanse of liquid water.
Whilst reading 'Songs of The Immortals' an anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry, Surridge felt an immediate connection with the simple, ancient and mysterious poetry and it seemed to resonate perfectly with his surrounding landscape, as well as the inner landscape of his thinking. Thus edited scripts from the book form the bases of many of the titles of the paintings.
Since 1998 Mark Surridge has been making paintings that take primary inspiration from the elemental forces in nature and landscape, effectively capturing its might and power with romantic zeal. As Liam Hanley comments âAt first glance his work looks abstract and the results have their own very personal syntax, punctuation and orchestration. They become almost performance of landscape rather than a celebratory record.
INTRODUCTION
Rainbow threads yellow river old moon in pond waterways one night of wind vernal wind blow my grief away sound river overflows her light river winds blending with skies deep reflection flows water blue silver river waterfall upended stream wreath of cloud filtered breeze blue stream goes showers and wind mist veiled river shore riverside trees still waters over flow her light rolling waves big wind rises mirror lake reaching midstream.
Three Waters
Water, flow, the ever changing surfaces, fractured, calm and arresting - reflecting the intimate and the universal. These new paintings concentrate on the painterly sensations of light, movement and the void like expanse of liquid water.
Carborundum, paint and pigment are energetically hurled and poured on to the wet painted surface of the canvas, creating gritty, simplified shapes and forms. The paintings are not trying to explain the intricacies of nature, but strive to suggest the human visceral sensations felt, when experiencing the elemental world outside.
As a way of titling individual paintings in âThree Waters' I came across the book âSongs of the Immortals', an anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry translated by Xu Yuan Zhong. Inside I trawled the pages of poems, songs and odes, making notes of key words and passages. In the book I found simple, ancient and mysterious poetry that seemed to resonate with the landscape of my surrounding area and the inner landscape of my thinking. These edited scripts form the bases of most of the titles and themes in the catalogue. I have placed the borrowed words together to create a new poetic composition which I hope will illuminate the paintings. Ultimately I hope these words, shown on the previous page, will assist the viewer to openly engage with the finished paintings.
Mark Surridge 2012
