Katie Pratt
dal 29/4/2005 al 28/5/2005
Segnalato da
29/4/2005
Katie Pratt
Kontainer Gallery, Los Angeles
Solo show. The artist's abstract paintings appear at a distance as a violent splash of paint, The surface, however, reveals detailed, tiny marks and dashes that elaborate upon the initial gesture: each painting is begun by throwing or pouring paint at the canvas, initiating a chain of reactions and discovery, through the making-process.
Solo show
Kontainer is pleased to present Katie Pratt’s second solo-exhibition at
the gallery. Based in London, Pratt has shown extensively throughout the
UK and Europe, winning the prestigious Jerwood Painting Prize in 2001. She
is currently participating in “LANDSCAPE CONFECTION†curated by Helen
Molesworth at the WEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Ohio and which will travel
to MOCA HOUSTON in June and then to ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
ART in January 2006. Recent exhibitions include “New British Painting†at
John Hansard, London and “Approaching Content†curated by Jonathan
Parsons.
Katie Pratt’s abstract paintings appear at a distance as a violent splash
of paint, The surface, however, reveals detailed, tiny marks and dashes
that elaborate upon the initial gesture: each painting is begun by
throwing or pouring paint at the canvas, initiating a chain of reactions
and discovery, through the making-process.
In these works, Pratt incorporates the physical qualities of the material:
it drips, congeals, coagulates, wrinkles, tears, curls and buckles over
and on top of itself. Often there is a curious fringe hanging from the
surface as the paint takes on a life of its own, flouting the confines of
the brushstroke. The structural possibilities and physical characteristics
of oil paint are pushed to the limit, sometimes reaching the point where
its consistency and weight give in to gravity.
Treating the first splash of paint as if it were a found object is a way
of getting started for Pratt. This presents her with a series of problems
to solve that are both the course of the painting and the subject matter.
As she works, Pratt - to an almost obsessive degree - highlights the
visual rhythms, themes and repetitions that she finds. Each of the marks,
flaws and imperfections that were at first barely perceptible are retraced
and underlined with tiny strokes and dashes that cover the entire surface
of the canvas. Like cartography, the paintings are a slow and careful
charting of what is already there, of what already resides within the
found splash. The titles of Pratt’s work suggest a location, hinting at an
unseen place and providing a clue as to what painting might be.
Opening reception: Saturday, April 30th, 6-8pm
Kontainer Gallery
6130 Wilshire Blvd. - Los Angeles