Hashtag Abstract explores the phenomenon of news traveling fast in the digital era and the impact of social media as well as the power of the individual as a critic.The exhibition invites the viewer to interact with the works through social media in a critical and engaging way.
Curated by: Kamiar Maleki
Ronchini Gallery is pleased to present Hashtag Abstract, a group exhibition that brings
together new works by international artists Oliver Clegg, Richard Höglund, Christopher
Kuhn and Kasper Sonne. For his inaugural exhibition as a curator, London based collector
Kamiar Maleki presents work exploring trends and current developments in abstract
painting.
Hashtag Abstract explores the phenomenon of news traveling fast in the digital era and the
impact of social media as well as the power of the individual as a critic. Addressing how
trends emerge organically, Hashtag Abstract invites the viewer to interact with the works
through social media in a critical and engaging way, moving beyond the barrier of mere
observation and advocating the power of the image as a tool of engagement.
Los Angeles based painter Christopher Kuhn’s works combine gestural abstraction with
geometrical designs. Kuhn’s recent paintings depict a multitude of techniques within a
canvas referencing the changing and fast-paced art world. For his new work at the show
Kuhn studies the techniques and devices that Old Masters employed, such as the 17th
century Dutch painter Gerrit Dou, in creating the illusion of depth while accentuating the
flatness of the picture plane . Brooklyn based, Danish artist Kasper Sonne’s works are also
examples of divergent trends. His work of revolves around conceptual strategies, invoked
with a certain sense of poetics, melancholia and doubt. Sonne explores how individual and
cultural references influence the way we read the world around us, and how meaning is
determined by the viewer's own active construction. British born, New York based Oliver
Clegg uses figuration for his basis of abstraction. Deconstructed figures take on new
meaning as they become abstracted. Paris based Richard Höglund’s works use
language and mark making as a starting point for his works, turning linear forms into
melodic abstract compositions.
Hashtag Abstract demonstrates the current diversity and range of techniques within the
genre of contemporary painting. The artworks become the triggering element for a debate
around the very definition of a trend and whether anything is really trending.
Image: invitation
Press Contact:
Sophie Campos or Tefkros Christou at Pelham Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 208 969 3959
Email: sophie@pelhamcommunications.com or tefkros@pelhamcommunications.com
Opening: Wednesday, 1 July 2015, 6-8pm
Ronchini Gallery
22 Dering Street, Mayfair, London
Mon - Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 11am to 5pm