On the Surface
Curated by Sean Williams

Gallery Text

This micro-exhibition features paintings by Graham Lister, Ben Snowden and Jane Walker in which both the substrate and the materiality of paint are fundamental to how the work evolves and is subsequently resolved.

For Snowden and Walker, their expressive mark-making requires a support sturdy enough to withstand energetic and vigorous explorations; while Lister creates a surface smooth enough to allow the paint to glide across, yet capable of holding and recording its trail. Like a good maths exam, all three works show their workings-out, as the artists demonstrate their understanding of how their chosen materials behave. It is curated by Sean Williams.

Bloc Studios, 198 Arundel Street, Sheffield S1 4RE

Exhibition dates: 9 October - 12 November 2022
Opening times: Please contact Sean Williams at swseanwilliams@gmail.com to arrange to view.
Admission free

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An exhibition orchestrated by Sean Williams, an established Sheffield-based curator, On the Surface was an additional show, following the success of his previous exhibition, Think Of Me With Kindness (RADAR 8692), of which I was selected to be part.

Williams selected the painting Bits of Sellotape Left on the Wall to showcase dialogues between works which focus on varying uses, and a love of, pigment on substrate. In On the Surface, Bits of Sellotape Left on the Wall acted as a meditative and slow counterpoint to the other works on display – each of which drew viewers toward the painted surface.

The exhibition, identified with a photograph of Bits of Sellotape Left on the Wall, was featured in the October Newsletter of Contemporary British Painting.

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After its inclusion in Think Of Me With Kindness, the use of the work in a different context allowed me to better draw into focus ideas of the impact/ smooth movement of pigment on substrate. It opened up thinking related to the duration of looking and really ‘seeing’ a painting. What makes a viewer ‘sit’ with a work? What invites contemplation within the field of abstract painting? The work could be grasped at a glance, but it, alongside it’s partners in this exhibition offer a level of detail, or fluency in their making which draws viewers in. It is this that has been an important aspect of this group exhibition.