Curatorial Statement
‘The Land of Sol’ exhibition emerged through a fortuitous sequence of events. ‘Sol Space’ was the name of a group of artists Stephen Buckeridge and I had formed several years ago to explore the question of integrity in abstract painting. On setting up an Instagram page with the aim of sharing the space, that name presented itself for resurrection. The response to that reaching out was immediate. Della Gooden and Richard Bell reserved dates for a retreat and period of work, and we discussed the possibility of an inaugural show of work that had been produced in the space. Unfortunately this had to be postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As it happened, this gave me the unforeseen opportunity to launch into refurbishments, resulting in two spaces functioning as both studio and gallery.
While this work was taking place, the idea for the present show emerged. Building on work I had acquired through Matthew Burrows’ ‘Artist Support Pledge’ I reached out to other artists whose work had struck me during the preceding year. This show is in part the result of their enthusiastic response.
Regarding thematic connections that informed my selection, my recognition of the significance of the late Ocean Park paintings of Richard Diebenkorn is perhaps significant. The important thing for me, about this work, was the way he harnessed both ‘the measure’ of rectilinear (and later curvilinear) structure, and the painterly ‘touch’, ‘shift’ and layering that facilitate development of a composition. This process enabled him to question, with utmost sincerity. Integrity was not a given, but something to be searched for.
As I look at the range of works in this show, I see the inter-relationship between these processes, in different proportions; in each, we see a tension - a balance between form and formlessness, movement and stability, knowing and uncertainty. Each work causes me to pause, and reflect: ‘Who am I?’, ‘What is this strange world I find myself inhabiting?’ and ‘What is the nature of my relationship with it?’ Each work is less a demonstration of prowess or a definitive answer to these questions, and more about a dwelling in their mystery.
Ashley West