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Lisa Wright, At Her Mirror, 2015, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm
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Lisa Wright, Descendant of the Picts, 2015, Oil on canvas, 50 x 40cm
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Lisa Wright, Flesh Dress, 2015, Oil on canvas,150 x 120 cm
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Lisa Wright, Young Pretender, 2015 Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm
Exhibition
The Unversed - Lisa Wright
1 Oct 2015 – 17 Oct 2015
Regular hours
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 17:00
Cost of entry
Free
Address
- 8 Duke Street
- St James's
- London
- SW1Y 6BN
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- The following buses also run along Piccadilly past the top end of Duke Street: 9, 14, 19, 22 and 38.
- Short walk from Green Park and Piccadilly Circus tube stations.
In Lisa Wright’s The Unversed new works speak for their subjects
About
Lisa Wright’s latest body of paintings will be exhibited in her solo show with curatorial duo, Coates and Scarry, from Thursday 1st to Saturday 17th October at Gallery 8, Duke Street St James, London.
For The Unversed, over 30 paintings and drawings by Wright will be displayed across the two-floor gallery space. Wright’s distinctive imagery will be shown; a combination of motifs from historical paintings and modern-day concerns, which act to move the viewer through different periods of time at once.
The figures in Wright’s paintings are caught on the brink of adulthood. They have soft, childish faces and newly rounded bodies and their predominantly naked figures are adorned with decorative, adult clothing consisting of ribbons, Tudor ruffs and silk sleeves. The figures adopt semi-formal portrait poses that enhance the juxtaposition between their pubescent shyness and awkwardness with an increasing defiance.
As Wright describes, ‘puberty heightens everything. Emotions are intensified and the presentation of the self, of body image, predominates.’
Many figures are consequently shown wearing masks, reminiscent of Venetian carnival masks, held in place over the mouth to render the wearer somewhat passive. The Unversed refers to this passivity of Wright’s figures, who, anticipating their future identities during an unsettling era, lack the skills and the experience to express themselves adequately.
Some of the key paintings are Fete Galante, After The Masked Visitor, Flesh Dress and Boudoir Cabinet.
Wright's work has been selected for the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition for the last twenty two years. She has also exhibited in the significant ‘Art Now Cornwall’ exhibition at Tate St Ives and won numerous awards, including the National Open Art Prize and the Threadneedle Prize in 2013.
After studying at The Royal Academy Schools, London, 1990-1993, Lisa Wright relocated to Cornwall, where she currently lives and works. Her work is held in many corporate and private collections and she was artist in residence with the Royal Shakespeare Company throughout the two year period of their ' Histories' cycle, culminating in an exhibition at the Roundhouse, London.
The Unversed – from Thursday 1st to Saturday 17th October, 1100 to 1900 Monday to Sunday, Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street St James’, St James’, London SW1Y 6BN. Private View on Thursday 1st, 1800 to 2100.
Press: Abigail Stuart-Menteth, Damson PR, 078 555 26 550 or abigail@damsonpr.com
Notes to Editors
Coates and Scarry founded in 2010 are Chippy Coates and Richard Scarry, partners who curate and exhibit internationally groundbreaking shows. Recent solo exhibitions at Duke Street, St James, London include Dean Melbourne’s Garland, and Angela Lizon’s Menagerie. Alongside a programme of solo shows they have also curated thematic group shows including Vestige and Complicit, a three person show with Kate MccGwire, Juliette Losq and Jayne Anita Smith which was listed in the top five shows of the week in London by FAD Magazine. The gallery also collaborates with the Royal West of England Academy on summer exhibitions. Coates & Scarry regularly exhibit at international art fairs including Art 15 London, Art Central Hong Kong and Art Context Miami.
