Gerald Hemsworth: Mushrooms in the Rain

Galeria Brito Cimino will be presenting a solo show of the British artist Gerard Hemsworth, beginning September 28.

The artworks featured have all been produced in the last two years, most of which have never been shown before, all done in acrylic on canvas and measure between 213 x 259 cm, and 92 x 92 cm. Hemsworth’s oeuvre invites/urges the spectator to question the assumption of art as a model of intelligibility. The figures in the artist’s works possess a certain ingenuousness, perceptible in the use of pastel colors, and in the drawings of determined urban or bucolic landscapes. Hemsworth’s paintings feature uncommon figures, inanimate beings in everyday settings, which appear to be extracted from fairy tales. As Andrew Renton points out in the show’s catalogue, "indeed, in the realm of the image, there is a constant play on appearances.”

Although they depict a wide range of situations, and are somewhat unreal, the scenes denote a certain familiarity. They are like representative images – of our feelings, our world, our questionings. The following moment, it strikes us as odd that such a common image should capture our attention. Maybe it is precisely the recognition of certain graphic elements (so obvious to our eyes) that makes us reevaluate our expectations, thus making the object in question more attractive and surprising.

One of the artist’s clear intentions is to offer new vocabularies and imageries to painting, since it is becoming ever more difficult today to reflect on and to perceive the complexity of painting and creating images. Hemsworth is careful and deliberate in terms of the titles of his artworks, thereby giving rise to a kind of title/image narrative. However, the device of naming his artworks does not remove the aura of mystery and questioning that so many of them evoke, but rather reinforces their denotive and representational significance.

This exhibition, supported by the British Council, is accompanied by a 48-page catalogue with two art-critical texts, by Andrew Renton and Suhail Malik.

Gerard Hemsworth was born in London, in1945. From 1963 to 1967, he studied at St. Martins School of Art. His first solo show was held in 1970 at Nigel Greenwood Gallery, in London. Since then his works have appeared in exhibitions internationally. In 2000, he was awarded the Royal Academy Charles Wollaston Award. He lives and works in London, where he is the Professor of Fine Arts at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Dr. Andrew Renton is a writer and curator based in London. He is Director of the Curatorial Program, Goldsmiths College, University of London.  He is a juror for next year's Turner Prize.

Dr. Suhail Malik writes on contemporary art, and philosophy and lifesciencences, and is Course Leader in Fine Art Critical Studies, Goldsmiths College, University of London.