Xoanxo: Farnham Times and Pavement Art Series

About

“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.”                                               

Michelangelo

In this series, local artist Xoanxo has captured the abstract from the apparently ordinary and mundane. The artist focuses attention on Farnham pavements, wall and fences, where our eyes often rest and yet seem to go unnoticed beyond their practical purpose. The relation and contrast between the deceitful appearance of solidity and rigidity of man-made structures, with the supposed fragility of nature, is also highlighted in many of Xoanxo’s photographs.

As an abstract painter Xoanxo’s works do not attempt to represent anything other than themselves, an approach which the artist parallels in his photography. Out of context and void of inherent content: their texture, composition, tone and colour await the viewer’s response to define their existence.

Michelangelo describes the action of visualising the potential of a block of marble. In a similar way, Xoanxo sees his challenge as hewing away the conceptual association with the limited perception of what appears to be merely a wall, pavement or fence and allowing them to become a true expression of themselves.

Born in Cée (Galicia, Spain) in 1970, Xoanxo left for the UK in 1988, moving to the Netherlands in 2001. Returning to the UK in 2013, Xoanxo currently resides in Surrey making the local area the subject of his artwork.

Xoanxo has exhibited in several cities and locations since 1993, including London (Bolivar Hall, Canning House, John Jones Gallery, IMO Arts Society), Manchester (Portico Gallery, Instituto Cervantes, Manchester Airport), Macclesfield (West Park Museum), Stockport (Howard Francis Gallery), Amsterdam (Art Hotel, Schichol Airport), Madrid (Circulo de Bellas Artes), Xoanxo’s hometown Cée and Hoofddorp where the artist held a Studio-Gallery space from 2011-13.

www.xoanxo.com