I am showing some new works in an exhibition, with other artists Laura Footes, Paul K Majek, Lauren Moses, Cece Philips, at Annely Juda Fine Art announces Vestiges, an exhibition bringing together five contemporary painters concerned with memory, inheritance and traces of the past. Vestiges, from the Latin vestigium, refers to a footprint or visible sign of something that once existed but appears no more. The works in this exhibition touch upon myriad concepts such as myth, the subconscious, history, spirituality, the self and dreams, reinterpreting and transforming ideas through painting, so that the intangible becomes tangible. Each work shares an impression of something ephemeral and transitory or existing in a liminal space and time.
Much of Jess Allen's work explores the theme of 'Presence through Absence'. Subjects such as empty chairs and sofas, books left behind by an absent reader, and empty theatres and cinemas, suggest the past presence of a person or people. The works shown here mark a new direction for Allen: self-portraits that turn the focus towards the face and the inner self of the painter. In repetition, Allen draws attention to the many variables held within a single subject. Through close cropping and obscured features, she reassembles the self as something fragmentary and provisional, a memory of who one is or has been, pieced together and re-examined. Rather than offering answers, these works think through the dilemmas one encounters within oneself over the course of a life, never arriving at a fixed image.
In these new paintings, I am using the self image, to explore and find a visual language for conscious and subconscious emotions, from self criticism and doubt, to a cathartic acceptance of aging and imperfection. Focussing in again on how we reveal so much about our inner mental state through body language and facial expression, I am using myself as subject, because we ultimately experience emotion at it's deepest level, within ourselves, which then gives us empathy with others.
The Private View is on 23rd July, from 6 - 8 pm. All welcome. I am planning to be there. I
Exhibition dates are July 23rd - 28th August
Annely Juda Fine Art
16 Hanover Square
London W1S 1HT
Tel: +44 (0)20 7629 7578
For enquiries, please contact holly@annelyjudafineart.co.uk
Opening hours are Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5.30pm. And Saturday 25th July 11am - 5pm.