December 5th December – 8th Jan 2013, at The Russet, Hackney Downs Studios, Amhurst Terrace, London E8 2BT therusset.co.uk
“The revelation of the strangeness, the sinister and even infernal otherness that hides in familiar things.” Aldous Huxley
Eugene Wood will present series of new work in, ‘NO REP’, his first solo exhibition since his debut solo in 2012. The show consists of oil paintings, which see the artist continue his exploration into ‘the glory manifest in the ordinary, finding beauty in those parts of the visual scene, which are generally taken for granted.’.
Wood trained at the prestigious Institut Supérieur de Peinture Van der Kelen-Logelain (Brussels), where he learnt methods associated with nineteenth-century artistic practice. Combining these techniques with contemporary sensibilities, he focuses in on details from familiar objects and surfaces, to create abstract but intrinsically and instinctively balanced compositions. The artist’s sensitivity with colours and gradations of tone subconsciously remind the viewer of the skilful alchemy of the Old Masters, whilst the influence of surrealism within his work, and its reductive nature, exposes unexpected potential within his seemingly traditional medium. Of his relationship with colour, the artists says, ‘I predominantly use black to make the colors more vivid and to create a void in which details appear to glow.’.
Isolation is key in Wood’s work, whether it be the isolation of elements within the ordinary until they become extraordinary, or his self-imposed isolation in order to identify these elements, without distraction. ‘I am trying to create works that are interesting to the eye and thought provoking, beautiful but retaining a feeling of unease, tension and a suggestion of fear. Achieving a transcendental state through looking at a seemingly mundane object or surface, is only possible without distraction and often long periods of being alone creating a sense of alienation, frustration and apprehension.’ Through this isolation he transcends the presumed and offers us a view into the, otherwise hidden, unusual within the norm.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Eugene Wood is a graduate of Cleveland College of Art,Cheltenham school of Art and the Institut Supérieur de peinture Van der Kelen-Logelain (Brussels). Solo Exhibitions (upcoming) exhibition ‘No Rep’, The Russet (2013), ‘Illuminating The Void’, Art Work Space (2012), Group exhibitions include The Bayliss Beltane Show London (2011).The Macmillan Cancer Research Auction,Bonhams,London (2011) (2010). SHUNT, London (2010). The Threadneedle Prize, Mall Galleries, London (2009). The Medical Foundation Art Auction, SUMARRIA LUNN, John McAslan + Partners/Royal Institution of Great Britain, London (2009), Candid Arts Trust, London (2005), Storm Estates, London (2004) and The Now Gallery, Birmingham (2003).
www.eugenewood.co.uk
