A juxtaposition of sculpture and digital art
For the inaugural exhibition of its 2023 programme Frestonian Gallery presented an exhibition of works on paper by Bridget Riley and Luke Elwes. This exhibition is a continuation & development of the exhibition of the same name at the Myung-Won Folk House Museum in Seoul, South Korea, which ran from October to November in 2022, and which juxtaposed Elwes’ and Riley’s work with sculpture by Korean artist Vakki and digital art by Canadian-Korean artist Sammy Lee.
Riley and Elwes were, and are, both heavily influenced by the deconstructive & colour-theory elements of the 19th & 20th Century European Impressionist tradition, whilst having each developed entirely distinct modern / post-modern practices. In keeping with their forebears refined methodologies, their works each follow self-imposed restrictions of expression, yet find infinite variation within them. Riley’s early influence by the Impressionists and Pointillists – in particular Georges Seurat and Paul Cézanne – is reflected in her approach to reconstructing and reimagining the natural world in planes of pure colour and line. Her hard-edge form of abstraction is in many ways the opposite to Elwes’ more flowing, expressive and organic painting practice. Just as Riley eliminates all possible chance in the realisation of the final work, Elwes revels in it – allowing the very water that he is depicting to act as a medium in itself and shape the final expression of his densely layered and evocative works.
Gallery opening times:
Tuesday to Friday: 11am - 6pm
Saturday: Midday - 4pm
