Kate Lyddon
dal 21/10/2009 al 29/11/2009
Segnalato da
21/10/2009
Kate Lyddon
Galleria Davide Di Maggio (nuova sede), Milano
Happiness. L'artista presenta una serie di disegni e dipinti popolati da personaggi fittizi che alludono alle sue aspirazioni ormai svanite. Danzatori, trapezisti, artisti e performers si schierano e invadono lo spazio della tela per mettere a punto una sua seconda vita immaginaria.
Gallery Davide Di Maggio is pleased to present the solo exhibition by
Kate Lyddon “Happiness”
Following six successful years in Berlin, Gallery Davide Di Maggio is
excited to announce the opening of a new space in Milan, at Viale
Monza 10. In celebration of the occasion, the gallery is presenting the first
solo exhibition in Italy of the young British artist Kate Lyddon. Born
in 1979 and based in London, Lyddon's work is already part of the
Saatchi Collection and for this new exhibition in Milan the artist
will show an entirely unseen body of drawings and paintings.
A perversely fraught and difficult emotion, 'Happiness' is a general
destination we move towards, yet directions or even an approximate
location can often elude us. Left at the corner there? Up the hill a
little further? Just past the terrible life decision? I suppose if one
were to attempt to define Lyddon's work for this show, then it would
be a document to these horrors of doubt; the complexity of the simple
life decisions we are forced to make and the fear of consequence.
Lyddon's paintings are predominantly occupied by fictitious
characters. Hopeful yet shabby in disposition, they could easily
allude to Lyddon's own faded aspirations; dancers, trapeze artists and
performers strut and swing across the canvas or paper to the tune of
the artist's imagined second life. In conversation, Lyddon openly
admits to some of these fears - 'I know it's probably too late to
become a dancer...too late to become a number of things in fact...' -
and the reality of these 'lost' ambitions are uncomfortably and
joyously lived out with equal horror and celebration when dragged
across her canvasses and paper.
Lyddon's work tends to openly confront this duality of emotion. The
loss of something, yet the relief of its disappearance. That party one
might have gone to could also be seen as 'one less opportunity to make
a fool of oneself.' Fairground exhibitionists and social pariahs
collide to create beautiful and contorted forms within the work.
Everything appears to permanently teeter on the edge of a nervous
breakdown and the mystery that keeps it all from drowning is probably
the same thing that keeps us all afloat – the reason we can't help but
stop and stare.
Kate Lyddon was born in Brighton and lives and works in London. She
studied at the Royal University College of Fine Arts (Stockholm) and
Chelsea College of Art (London) and exhibits internationally.
Opening: Thursday, 22 October 2009, 6.30 p.m.
Galleria Davide di Maggio
viale Monza 10 - 20127 Milano
Opening hours: Mon. - Sat. 10a.m – 12.30 p.m. / 3 – 7.30 p.m.
free admission