LEAP OF FAITH
GROUP EXHIBITION
We tend to appreciate things that make sense. We gravitate towards what seems coherent and reasonable. We feel safe here. When reason is on our side, we feel protected by it. But what about when it isn’t?
“I’ve been looking for questions that become answers. I couldn’t have this work derive from logic, it just had to come from my mind filtered through to my fingers. Just like everyone else in this pandemic, this work is my reaction to the most ridiculous year.”
This exhibition is now close. Available works can be found on our website
To take a leap of faith is to celebrate something whilst understanding that it doesn’t make rational sense. It is to see a paradox and, instead of seeking to escape it, choose to celebrate the contradiction. To take a leap of faith is to refuse the safety of reason in favour of the unpredictable and exciting world of absurdity. Existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote that “the thinker without paradox is like a lover without feeling: a paltry mediocrity”. Two centuries later, Patrick Hughes echoed his sentiment: “a paradox to me is like a pearl.”
The artworks in this exhibition embrace absurdity: Hughes’ sculpture Circular Train sits on a round track, its only possible destination the exact same spot as its starting point. Scrub by Sue Kennington references the visual and conceptual contradiction of the city, where a chaotic tangle of organic green forms grow into a barren concrete plane. Michael Coppelov’s paintings Campo and Uncle Buck depict a surreal paradise where revellers enjoy the cool of swimming pools growing out of men’s torsos.
These, and the other works on show, encourage the viewer to leave their rational faculties behind, instead taking a leap of faith and indulging in the absurd.
To take a leap of faith is to celebrate something whilst understanding that it doesn’t make rational sense. It is to see a paradox and, instead of seeking to escape it, choose to celebrate the contradiction. To take a leap of faith is to refuse the safety of reason in favour of the unpredictable and exciting world of absurdity. Existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote that “the thinker without paradox is like a lover without feeling: a paltry mediocrity”. Two centuries later, Patrick Hughes echoed his sentiment: “a paradox to me is like a pearl.”
The artworks in this exhibition embrace absurdity: Hughes’ sculpture Circular Train sits on a round track, its only possible destination the exact same spot as its starting point. KEELERTORNERO'S monochrome animals invade scenes of domestic bliss. Scrub by Sue Kennington references the visual and conceptual contradiction of the city, where a chaotic tangle of organic green forms grow into a barren concrete plane. Michael Coppelov’s paintings Campo and Uncle Buck depict a surreal paradise where revellers enjoy the cool of swimming pools growing out of men’s torsos.
These, and the other works on show, encourage the viewer to leave their rational faculties behind, instead taking a leap of faith and indulging in the absurd.
Oil on panel - 30 x 30cm
A Peeled and Carefully Faceted Golden Wonder Sculpture Against a Two Grey Background, 2013
Hand finished screen print | 92 x 72 cm
WILLIE NASH July 1916, 2020. Plaster and ash | 46 x 135 x 3 cm
“A hippy family in 1960s California. They are united in hair and hopefulness [...] a sense of entitlement for our future and the sneaking despair of futility.”
ADAM REID Untitled – After Böclin's Isle of the Dead, 2020. Mixed media on board | 80 x 150 cm
By giving us your email address you agree to receive email updates, special offers, new pieces and arty news. Unsubscribe at any time.
STAY UP TO DATE
JOE HESKETH, Cowboy, 2020
Mixed media | 105 x 49 x 49 cm | learn more
BRUCE MCLEAN, A Peeled and Care... 2013
Hand finished screen print | 92 x 72 cm | learn more
PATRICK HUGHES, Dicey, 2021
Oil on board | 65.5 x 76.7 x 21.5 cm | learn more
WILLIE NASH, July 1916, 2020
Plaster and ash | 46 x 135 x 3 cm | learn more
AMY DURY, England Is Mine, 2020
Oil on canvas | 100 x 120 cm | learn more
KEELERTORNERO, When Is Father's ... 2016
Oil on panel | 4 artworks of 30 x 30 cm | learn more
ADAM REID, After Böcklin’s Isle of the... 2020
Mixed media on board | 80 x 150 cm | learn more
L – R: MICHAEL COPPELOV
