Gift of the Gabb – Opera Rose at A Brooks Art
Detail from ‘Prime Titanium’ by Jonathan Gabb
Spectacular three-dimensional sculptural paintings are the focus of Jonathan Gabb’s solo exhibition, Opera Rose, at the former Victorian florist turned gallery A Brooks Art.
Combining acrylics with PVA glue, Gabb questions the function of paint by deliberately misusing it. Critic Helen Sumpter makes the comparison of Gabb’s work to the “cool colour field paintings of Barnet Newton” and the “gestural action paintings of Jackson Pollock”.
Gabb says: “With a painting, people expect paint on a canvas or pigment in liquid on a flat surface, I’m trying to do something different. I want to transform it into something else – the paint is freed from a fixed surface and can be viewed as an object.”
The artist will be opening the doors to his studio in South London on 6 October for an informal Q&A as part of the Art Licks weekend and arranging an ‘Art Skype’ to allow visitors to join in from afar.
For those who want more of an insider’s view of the exhibition, Gabb will be giving a talk on 7 October to explain the ideas behind his practice and walk visitors through the site-specific installation.
Until 16 November 2013
A Brooks Art
194-196 Hoxton Street
London N1 5LH