The Weight of Colour

About

99 Projects x A C Ursinus are delighted to present The Weight of Colour, an exhibition of new paintings by Luke Hannam (b. 1966) and Rosa Roberts (b.1984). Hannam’s newest works showcase his aptitude for invoking visceral responses via his handling of colour, again focusing on a timeless subject matter of the portrait. He cites the American painter, Amy Sillman, referring to painters who are not relating purely to the colour of paint but to the weight of paint;

it’s a brilliant insightful comment and so true, the paint has a physical mass and a structural truth and it’s this truth that the artist craves and needs when they are painting.

Roberts’ recent works focus almost exclusively on flowers and vases as subject matter, challenging the traditional motif with a playful and exciting energy in both brushwork and colour choice:

My palette has shifted in these works inspired by Luke’s work. I love his work and unexpected, subversive use of colour. I was so excited at the prospect of letting his work influence my own as if there was something in it that felt like a destination that I was instinctively stretching towards. I have used a lot of black, red, magenta and some yellow in these works and that’s the influence of Luke’s work and deliberately stealing things from him inspired by his surprising and clever colour choices.

Both artists converge on the essence of colour and mark-making, producing an exhilarating array of unique, sumptuous and arresting compositions. Texture and working of the surface remain a common thread, as does the reinterpretation of age-old themes in art history.