Ryebank Gallery on the High Street has a new exhibition of work by Matt Hardman and Julia Swaby starting on Friday, October 22 running for a month.
Matt Hardman’s works are called “5 Seconds of Now” and will be shown in the vault room, which dates from the time the venue was an HSBC bank. Matt chose these paintings on the understanding that the viewer will be forced to come in close to each subject in a confined space. Like sharing a lift with a stranger when it suddenly breaks down, the viewer and subject are compelled to confront one another. Some may find it a claustrophobic or intense experience but it is intended to be an intimate encounter.
Julia Swaby’s exhibition “Translations” is inspired by ancient oriental ink drawings of landscapes, where turquoise and orange are used a lot. They were sometimes painted by Zen priests, giving the works a spiritual, almost other worldly quality.
One of the most important motifs in Julia's work is the representation of light as a divine force. For example in Deai, where there is an explicit depiction of a divine encounter.
Turquoise and orange are often used in oriental landscapes but they also have spiritual significance with dreams of supernatural turquoise bays. The orange stands for both fire and sun: life force.
Ryebank Gallery is open every day except Thursday. 10:30am-5:30pm at 11a High Street.
