Thursday 21st May 2015 will see the launch of a contemporary new gallery space – The Dot Project – in the heart of Chelsea.
Founded by India Whalley, 26, at 94 Fulham Road, The Dot Project is a forward thinking and innovative arts space set to house a diverse number of works, artists and content.
The aim of the gallery will be to offer up new and globally recognised artists to both established and emerging collectors.
The first show, “Distorted Vision” will feature a selection of renowned artists carefully curated by Founder India Whalley, alongside long established curator Ben Austin. The exhibition will include works from: Aly Helyer, Dan Coombs, Jonny Green and Kate Lyddon. As the title suggests, each artist explores aspects of the grotesque, crossing the boundaries between normality and the absurd. The work is simultaneously comic and bizarre, beautiful and strange causing the viewer to question their own perception of beauty.
Lyydon has recently been shortlisted for the East London Painting prize and is a multi-disciplinary artist and a prize-winning sculptor whose works are currently housed in a number of iconic public displays including: The Saatchi Collection. Her works on canvas and paper appear to be dark comedies, featuring circus scenes and athletic events. Characters and animals are deformed, creating a fanciful even hallucinatory world full of uncertainty.
Helyer’s heads delve into subconscious modes of being, multi layered and intriguing. Her work refers to the idea of portrait, both within a historical and contemporary context. She explores the psychological and inner essence of her subjects often by questioning and challenging our perceptions between reality and illusion.
Coombs’ produces his twisted figures by shaking and vibrating photographs of nudes through a photocopier. The end result is paired down and painted – raw and elemental. There is a vital immediacy to the work, the figures are energetic and gestural trapped in their own heightened coloured world.
Green starts with small sculptural objects, odd assemblages made of plasticine and found items such as clockwork pieces and other assorted detritus. The object is photographed and then painted with a painstaking attention to detail. The work is sharply defined in contrast to slapdash nature of the original sculpture. We see weird brain-like creations, unusual still-lives with their own distinctive life force made real.
A young collector herself, Whalley is keen that The Dot Project not only cater to a seasoned collector but also aims to inspire those keen to explore and develop their tastes in a more transparent and democratic way. “Our aim is to de-mystify the art world and help to take those who are passionate about the arts, on a journey with us and our artists”, says India. “Everyone is already well acquainted with iconic institutions such as Saatchi and The Chelsea Arts Club but we are thrilled to join part of a growing arts community which is starting to inspire a new generation of collectors”.
Whalley has always had a passion in the art world following long-standing work in high level interior design combined with history where she was continually facing diverse aesthetic tastes. After specializing in African American Art and Culture in 1920s Harlem, India moved to New York, where she worked and took influence from the eclectic blend of art, design and architecture. India Whalley aims to inspire an exciting new generation of artists and collectors.
The Dot Project will rotate its shows on a frequent basis, with “Distorted Vision” running until the end of June, which will be followed by “The Shape of Things”, featuring Tim Ellis, Selma Parlour, Jane Bustin and Katrinna Blannin.
The Dot Project 94 Fulham Road, SW3 6HS www.thedotproject.com
