04.07.08 — 03.08.08 ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’, Group exhibition

Gillian Ayres, Simon Bill, Melanie Carvalho, Clem Crosby, Ian Davenport, Howard Dyke, Sophie Eade, Russell Eade, Katrine Hjelde, JohnFrumPress, Neil Kilby, Scott King, Peter Lanyon, Rich Littler, Yo Okada, Daniel Pasteiner, Clare Price, Ben Sansbury, Peter Saville.

“I use words to demolish the status of words… to that extent verbal consciousness about painting will float right out of your mind.” Patrick Heron.

“I might work on a painting for a month, but it has to look like I painted it in a minute.” Wilhelm De Kooning.

“Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.” Edgar Degas.

‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ is curated by painter Clare Price and brings together work by 20 different artists. Much of the work is unapologetically expressive in its aesthetic or attitude. It has an explosive almost ‘punk’ feel characterized by its energy and spontaneity.

The works of Peter Lanyon exemplify an enviable freedom and almost careless brilliance that is a model in stance for the rest of the show.

The exhibition includes well-established practitioners and some who are less well known. Each artist makes work that is infused with an uninhibited looseness of expression, in which the individuality of the mark-making is of paramount importance. From the clean subversive images of Scott King to the exuberant and colourful painting by Gillian Ayres, each of the works is visceral and highly charged.

The exhibition is sponsored by Smoke&Mirrors and is accompanied by a catalogue designed by Ben Branagan with an introductory essay by Jonathan Griffin.