Exhibition
Vacation II
Richard Burton
Henry Curchod
Ariane Heloise Hughes
Pieter Jennes
Rao Weiyi
Charline Tyberghein
Duration_ August 27–October 1, 2022
Opening_ Saturday, August 27, 3–6 PM
Opening_ Saturday, August 27, 3–6 PM
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Gallery Vacancy is pleased to announce group exhibition Vacation II, on view from August 27 to October 1, 2022, featuring works by artists Richard Burton (b. 1984), Henry Curchod (b. 1992), Ariane Heloise Hughes (b. 1997), Pieter Jennes (b. 1990), Rao Weiyi (b. 1993), and Charline Tyberghein (b. 1993). “Vacation” is a recurring summer group exhibition series inaugurated in 2021, showcasing works that examine the infinite potentials of interpreting the present reality. Transforming the gallery space into a liminal zone where norms and orders are temporarily suspended, the exhibition seeks to provide distinctive experiences by accentuating the essential components of change in space and time.
Vacation II brings forth a group of representational paintings that employ various approaches to dissect the daily realities of our lives. The works of Curchod and Jennes often situate viewers in snapshots of an ongoing storyline. In I’d Like to Do Something Nice for Everybody, but I’m Sure I’ll Regret It (2022), Jennes depicts a precarious moment of a person tiptoeing on the roof to flee from the attack of a flock of birds, provoking a comical ambience through the figure’s wobbly state. The intensity of emotion and action manifests in a more subtle form on Curchod’s canvas. In Versus Bank Manager (2022), the artist portrays an intriguing combination of disparate perspectives to heighten the theatrical tension, introduced through fluid brushwork and sparsely filled color. Curchod’s painting evokes a distant and dreamlike sensibility, slowly unfolding the visual narratives. Meanwhile, Burton and Rao move beyond physical reality in their paintings. Burton’s subject matter constantly dwells on the in-transit space, transforming the banality into a fantastical locale. In Thermo Static (2021), the artist depicts the rearview of transportation seating rendered in quasi sci-fi aesthetics yet revealing minimal clues of its setting. The tampering with imagination and reality is also pronounced in Rao’s works, incorporating visual elements of Post-Internet onto the canvas. Rao compresses layers of digital imaging in Glasses for Nobita (2022), revealing the characteristics of image-making in our current time through his physical representation of screen-lit light sources, bokeh subjects, and the overlaid collage elements. Hughes and Tyberghein illustrate the Surrealist paths of tapping into the zone of liminality. Hughes’s Watch & Learn (2022) associates images of an eye and a tentacle, pivoting the psychological effect of intricacy, sensuality, and absurdity. Tyberghein’s disruption of rationality reveals through her painterly manipulation of cognitive perception. The Devil that I Revel In (2022) masks a myriad of intriguing visual clues underneath the clarity and simplicity of the check pattern, perplexing viewers with an extraordinary trompe l’oeil effect while inserting an unmistakable sense of wittiness. Richard Burton, born in 1984 in King’s Lynn, UK, now lives and works in London. Burton received his master’s degree in painting from the Royal College of Art in 2021 and bachelor’s degree from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2008. Burton’s paintings depict the mundane scenery of everyday life, capturing snapshots of in-transit journeys. Through the artist’s meticulous brushwork and the kaleidoscopic use of color, the banality is tainted with a futuristic sensibility, releasing the imaginary power amongst viewers. Burton’s solo exhibition includes Retrovisore, Taymour Grahne Projects, London, 2022. His works have been exhibited at: PM/AM Gallery, London; Colección SOLO, Madrid; South London Gallery, London; Saatchi Gallery, London; 2 Chiltern Street, London; Mighela Shama, Geneva; Fabian Lang, Zurich; and Asylum Chapel, London. Henry Curchod, born in 1992 in Palo Alto, US, now lives and works in Sydney. Curchod graduated from the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales in 2014. Working as a figurative painter, Curchod fills his large-scale canvas with tense narrative and dynamic action. His works undertake an irregular perspective and composition to illuminate the tension that existed between the theatrical and dreamlike scenes. His recent solo exhibitions include: Set your friends free, MAMOTH, London, 2021; Sharing the sky, Sumer Gallery, Tauranga, 2021; Inside Head, Outside Head, Martin Browne Gallery, Paddington, 2021; and Apfelschuss, Tristian Koenig Gallery, Melbourne, 2019. His works have been exhibited at: Chauffeur, Sydney; LAILA, Syros; Stiege 13, Vienna; Lon Gallery, Melbourne; and Brett Whiteley Gallery, Sydney. Ariane Heloise Hughes, born in 1997 in Australia, now lives and works in London. Hughes graduated from the Camberwell College of Arts at the University of the Arts London in 2019. Hughes’s artistic practice engages with Surrealist imagery, often depicted in cropped forms. In her paintings, the artist exemplifies intricacy, sensuality, and absurdity of the visual elements. Hughes’s solo exhibition includes Better Luck Next Time, GNYP Gallery, Berlin, 2022. Her works have been exhibited at Roman Road, London; Studio Berkheim, Stuttgart; Chapelle XIV, Paris; Daniel Raphael, London; Gallery 46, London; and Soho Revue, London. Pieter Jennes, born in 1990 in Mortsel, Belgium, now lives and works in Antwerp. Jennes graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp in 2013 and from the University of Ghent in 2014. Jennes’s endeavor reflects a myriad of historical sources, ranging from Flemish artists such as Jean Brusselsmans, Gustave De Smet, to the cinematic works of David Lynch and Werner Herzog. His paintings capture scenes of humorous and dynamic interaction among human beings and nature, offering a whimsical lens to re-evaluate the daily experiences. His recent solo exhibitions include: When weeds bloom, Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles, 2022; I can tell you stories, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, 2021; and Everybody’s heard about the bird, Public Gallery, London, 2021. His works have been exhibited at: Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles; Bozar, Brussels; De Warande, Turnhout; and CIAP, Hasselt. Rao Weiyi, born in 1993 in Hunan, China, now lives and works in Chongqing. Rao received master’s degree in 2020 and bachelor’s degree in 2016 from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. Working within the realm of Post-Internet, Rao’s paintings reveal the characteristics of image-making in our current time through his physical representation of screen-lit light sources, out of focus subjects, and the overlaid collage elements. By rendering the bits and pieces on canvas, the artist illuminates the vast image overflow filled with our daily encounters. His solo exhibitions include: We wander, in separate worlds, A Thousand Plateau Art Space, Chengdu, 2022. His works have been exhibited at: Qian Zhen Art, Ningbo; PAC Pioneer Art Center, Tianjin; Luo Zhongli Art Museum, Chongqing; West Bund Art Center, Shanghai; and Powerlong Art Museum, Shanghai. Charline Tyberghein, born in 1993 in Antwerp, Belgium, now lives and works in Antwerp. Tyberghein graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp in 2018. Tyberghein’s artistic practice absorbs the spirit of Belgian Surrealism, carried out through the trompe l'oeil technique. Her paintings conceal playfulness and unexpectancy within the orderly structured geometric clarity, meanwhile activating the dynamic viewing relationship between her works and the viewer. Tyberghein’s solo exhibitions include: Worrier Princess, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, 2021; Many drops make a puddle, Castor Gallery, London, 2020; and Soft News, Beursschouwburg, Brussels, 2019. Her works have been exhibited at: De Warande, Turnhout; L21 Gallery, Madrid; Future Gallery, Berlin; The Hole, New York; and M HKA, Antwerp. |
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