Post by Commissioner on May 20, 2015 18:01:31 GMT
Lazarides Rathbone is pleased to present an arresting new showcase of architectural paintings by Frank Laws. Celebration marks Laws' first solo exhibition at Rathbone Place and extends his rigorous examination of East London's evolving urban landscape.
The British artist's intricately constructed paintings often reflect the social conditions in which they are produced, transforming colossal council estates into moody cityscapes by employing a mixture of deeply hued watercolours and drawing ink. Each microscopic composition maps the repetitive nature of Hackney's post-war architecture, harnessing the inherent qualities of his materials to build layer upon layer of detailed brickwork. Sprawling housing estates have become a recurrent influence in the artist's distinguished practice, borrowing from the aesthetics of film noir and Edward Hopper to construct pensive cinematographic renderings. The Hackney-based painter meticulously depicts the recent transformation of his local surroundings with an evocative richness and sentimentality, presenting a romantic documentation of everyday history and rapid redevelopment. Laws carefully balances structural elements to compose open-ended narratives with intense visual tension, presenting a modern vision of city dwellers and urban communities.
Over recent years East London has experienced a steady incline in rent prices and overall gentrification, resulting in a combination of displacement and convoluted identity. The new body of work introduces visual codes reminiscent of childhood innocence; Laws' melancholic scenes are littered with abandoned toys and empty playgrounds suggesting a sense of past celebration and forgotten joy. The uneasy juxtaposition of inanimate objects disregarded amid ominous scenes suggests a darker undertone synonymous with the local and global social climate. Expansive residential blocks stand as testament to a variety of political, economic and demographic changes that have occurred over decades, confronting conditions of human experience in contemporary society and a dramatic shift in social identity.
About Frank Laws
Frank Laws completed an MA at Central St Martins; he lives in Hackney and works between London, Paris and New York as an in-house artist for Louis Vuitton. He has presented work at the V&A, British Library, Somerset House, The Outsiders and The Print House Gallery, London. Utilising his signature realist painting style and heightened attention to detail and composition, Laws manages to find a unique and modern approach to a traditional medium
at risk of extinction amongst many of his photo-shop generation contemporaries. Recent press acclaim includes “astonishing precision and technique” (i-D), “Frank is the Joe Coleman of structural imagery. His process is painstakingly laborious and he paints with a single hair microbrush.” (Dazed & Confused)
“Frank Laws’ compelling paintings explore the anonymity of urban living through the prolonged meticulous study of neighbouring dwellings.” (Graham Rawle, V&A Illustration Awards), alongside features at Art Slant, Art Wednesday,
Glass Magazine, Paris Social Club and Upon Paper, Berlin.
Exhibition dates
The exhibition runs from 29th May 2015 to 25th June 2015
The British artist's intricately constructed paintings often reflect the social conditions in which they are produced, transforming colossal council estates into moody cityscapes by employing a mixture of deeply hued watercolours and drawing ink. Each microscopic composition maps the repetitive nature of Hackney's post-war architecture, harnessing the inherent qualities of his materials to build layer upon layer of detailed brickwork. Sprawling housing estates have become a recurrent influence in the artist's distinguished practice, borrowing from the aesthetics of film noir and Edward Hopper to construct pensive cinematographic renderings. The Hackney-based painter meticulously depicts the recent transformation of his local surroundings with an evocative richness and sentimentality, presenting a romantic documentation of everyday history and rapid redevelopment. Laws carefully balances structural elements to compose open-ended narratives with intense visual tension, presenting a modern vision of city dwellers and urban communities.
Over recent years East London has experienced a steady incline in rent prices and overall gentrification, resulting in a combination of displacement and convoluted identity. The new body of work introduces visual codes reminiscent of childhood innocence; Laws' melancholic scenes are littered with abandoned toys and empty playgrounds suggesting a sense of past celebration and forgotten joy. The uneasy juxtaposition of inanimate objects disregarded amid ominous scenes suggests a darker undertone synonymous with the local and global social climate. Expansive residential blocks stand as testament to a variety of political, economic and demographic changes that have occurred over decades, confronting conditions of human experience in contemporary society and a dramatic shift in social identity.
About Frank Laws
Frank Laws completed an MA at Central St Martins; he lives in Hackney and works between London, Paris and New York as an in-house artist for Louis Vuitton. He has presented work at the V&A, British Library, Somerset House, The Outsiders and The Print House Gallery, London. Utilising his signature realist painting style and heightened attention to detail and composition, Laws manages to find a unique and modern approach to a traditional medium
at risk of extinction amongst many of his photo-shop generation contemporaries. Recent press acclaim includes “astonishing precision and technique” (i-D), “Frank is the Joe Coleman of structural imagery. His process is painstakingly laborious and he paints with a single hair microbrush.” (Dazed & Confused)
“Frank Laws’ compelling paintings explore the anonymity of urban living through the prolonged meticulous study of neighbouring dwellings.” (Graham Rawle, V&A Illustration Awards), alongside features at Art Slant, Art Wednesday,
Glass Magazine, Paris Social Club and Upon Paper, Berlin.
Exhibition dates
The exhibition runs from 29th May 2015 to 25th June 2015