 Tasha Amini: oil on canvas, 61 x 92 cm Painting Tasha Amini, Lali Chetwynd, Kevin Knox, Peter McDonald There is an element of performance in this painting show; not in the physical heroics of the artist in the act of painting, but in the use of spectacle and entertainment as subject matter. Kevin Knox's (born 1969 Kent) clown-like portraits have developed out of a previously abstract painting practice. Raw faces fill the canvas, as if peering out at some possible danger, mysterious and comic at the same time. Lali Chetwynd (born 1973 London) is probably best known for her recent live performances including "An Evening with Jabba the Hut", and "The Hulk", played out by actors in hand-made costumes. Her paintings of props and stage sets hold the same appeal, at once gorgeous and grotesque, mythical and naive. Peter McDonald's (born 1973 Tokyo) paintings offer a nostalgic view of the future. Large-headed, characters, reminiscent of cult cartoons, sing around a microphone or yak at a gallery opening in their own warped world of pop. By contrast Tasha Amini's (born 1970 London) paintings are puritanical. A female folk singer surrounded by a backdrop of guitars inhabits a dreamier realm where the palette shrinks to fit a contemplative mood and memories of a less complicated life. All the artists live and work in London. Exhibition: 23 April - 30 May 2004 Gallery hours: Thu-Sun 12am - 6pm or by appointment. Kate MacGarry Gallery 95-97 Redchurch Street UK-London E2 7DJ Telephone +44 020.7613 3909 Email mail@katemacgarry.com www.katemacgarry.com |
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