SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

About

This exciting collaboration consists of two painters and a sculptor working within portraiture. The artists do not merely explore appearances but attempt to delve deeper, exploring and exposing their subjects psyche.

‘Scratching the Surface’ reflects a painting technique most visibly demonstrated by Christos Tsimaris. Previously painted layers are revealed as the surface of a canvas is scraped away by Tsimaris. Present workings of a portrait suddenly stand among past reflections and reveal the exploration of the painting process itself; how the painting is created in relation to its structure, composition, colour and mark making.

The title of this exhibition however, suggests more than just this painting technique. The theme of ‘Scratching the Surface’ also brings artists’ works’ together in the way that they explore the face and body, delving deep beyond the surface, and attempting to discover their subject’s psyche. The works attempt to break the mask and reveal the depths of the human condition and the disquieting human figure. Painters Lee Ellis and Christos Tsimaris’s abstract their figures; distorting heads and bodies, showing tortured expressions, and finding new modes of expressing the humanity within people. Laurence Perratzi’s more figurative sculptures show the subtle gestures of our revealing and telling expressions through body language. Her figures are self-reflecting, connecting them with the existential nature of Ellis and Tsminaris’s works. The works collectively encourage viewers to observe and discover the subjects through the scratchings of the surfaces.

Scratching the Surface will open at Lacey Contemporary Gallery on 18th May with a private view.

For the guest list, enquiries or high-res images, contact tessa@laceycontemporary