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Dates: 11th July to 22nd August 2009 OVADA is delighted to present a group exhibition of stimulating work by five artists at various stages in their careers, all of whom focus on the painted portrait. The show includes a range of work that addresses what portraiture means today, proving that the medium is still very much alive and relevant to current concerns in contemporary society. The exhibition showcases a variety of approaches from contemplative oils to animated paintings. Each artist reveals similar concerns about the concept of identity and challenges pre-conceived ideas about the portrait.
Peter Monkman, winner of this year's prestigious BP National Portrait Award, challenges the fixed notion of an idealised image of childhood and substitutes it for a more unsettling, complex, representation. The winning portrait of his 12-year-old daughter, Anna, entitled Changeling 2 is currently showing at the National Portrait Gallery, London. This work is part of a series of portraits of his daughter at different stages of her life; Changeling 1, the first in the series, will be exhibited at OVADA. Monkman deals with an individual's identity relating to self within the broader context of the family and society.
As OVADA's artist in residence, Adam J Maynard has created exciting new work, which on the surface conveys a sense of humour and absurdity underpinned by a darker feeling of unease. Maynard hints at the dystopia simmering beneath the surface of the family unit. Using found photographs from bygone eras Maynard releases the uncomfortable histories that might lurk behind these images.
Gideon Pain's work has been described as haunting, unsettling and ultimately emotional as he presents work that is both frightening and moving to look at. Pain's work does not represent singular events but fragments of some on-going, unknown narrative that have been reordered into a new conclusion. Pain acknowledges the loss of time and embraces the possibilities that memory offers.
The paintings produced by emerging artist Emma Cousin reflect an intense observation of the surrounding world focusing on the internal frictions of self, family life, relationships and the unsettling undertones of insecurities that ring under the surface. Cousin works from found images, often old photographs, as they hold truth laced with deception, allowing her to paint people not because of what they are like but how they happen to be.
Recent graduate Olivia Franklin experiments with literal translations of movement, culminating in a body of figurative painted animations. These works demonstrate the relevance of painting in an increasingly conceptual art world and its versatility as a medium. The animation highlights notions of illusion and space, challenging the perception of the portrait.
The exhibition will be supported by a series of workshops and events, including a talk by Peter Monkman.
A selection of the work in this exhibition will be available for sale in support of OVADA.
Please visit the artists' websites for further information:
Emma Cousin
Olivia Franklin
Adam J Maynard
Peter Monkman
Gideon Pain
Exhibition gallery: 9 images > View all images &h(200)) | Related events:
Artists Talk: New Perspectives on Contemporary Portraiture
(Thursday 13th August 2009)
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