Texts
Accompanying the exhibition 'Hybrids: International Contemporary Painting' at Tate Liverpool, the essay looked at contextualising the work of eight artists, some of whom had not been seen in widely in Britain. Their work shared a common concern in extending the language of abstraction and figuration in unexpected and inventive ways. These painters from Brazil, Britain, Germany and North America, brought an inventive engagement with other media, technology and urban life to bear upon their work.
Vivid brought together the works of 12 British and American artists, many exhibiting in the UK for the first time. It was a touring exhibition organised by the Richard Salmon Gallery in London and going on to the Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre; the Nothern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland.
'Transfer' brought together seven artists from different fields, focusing on painting as a reference point. It included composer James Saunders, filmmaker Simon Payne, and painters Bernice Donszelmann, Noel Forster, Sharon Hall, Tim Renshaw and Donald Smith. It was at the Keith Talent Gallery London in May/June 2006.
This article was originally written for issue no. 12 of 'Miser and Now' edited by Martin Holman, an issue which never actually appeared. It looks at certain issues around abstraction and representation that relate to both 'Hybrids' and 'Transfer' essays. Reproductions included here are by the artists' permission