The paintings, writing and performances of Paul Haworth form a personal exploration of the human comedy. Describing his attitude to art-making, he references Lawrence Weiner's statement that “Art is something human beings make to present to others to understand their place in the world.” Fetishism, gender politics, image-making, family drama are some of the topics handled within works that are fun, provocative and presented to the audience as a beginning for discussion and some independent thought.
His paintings are made of dense brushwork, brash colours and compositions which encapsulate elements of expressionism, graffiti, abstract and geometric art. ‘Heels’ shows a pair of women's feet in extreme high heels. ‘Heels’ investigates the way objects become invested with intensely powerful, occasionally surreal, notions by the transubstantiating force of the fetishist’s gaze.
As viewers we look to find harmony and logic in the colours and composition of a painting; and painters, consciously or not, create rules of how a painting is made. Haworth seeks to disrupt these expectations of consistency and stability in painting. The figures in ‘BAD BOYS, ANGRY MOTHER’ are each painted in different formal styles. Cartoony, graphic, classical and expressionistic means of representation clash both in the wider image and the representation of individual characters, within a person's hair, skin and clothes. The characters are based on photos taken by the artist of ‘guests’ on the Jerry Springer Show. The hysterical drama of the program makes for strong subject matter, and the visual lucidity of television lends itself to painterly description; by pausing the motion in paint, one gains insight into the framing, emotional manipulation and power of the gaze as constructed by the screened televisual image.
Twenty-something romance, rejection letters, sweet relief vestibules and a delight in the shape and elasticity of language all play their part in ‘Silk Handkerchiefs’. Encapsulating numerous strands of Haworth’s practice, ‘Silk Handkerchiefs’ exists as performances, videos, radio shows and a novel. Haworth explores the differing energies between the media, utilizing each one’s unique potentialities. While each can stand alone and is capable to exist independently, brought together in this exhibition, the works create a cumulative energy and mood,
Clear, honest communication is imperative to Paul Haworth's practice. Humour and absurdism run throughout, imbuing his art with an openness and humanism. By creating art in numerous media, Haworth works to realize his faith the accessibility of art.
Paul Haworth
Pauk Haworth (Lancaster England, 1982) lives and works in Amsterdam. He studied at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford, and De Ateliers, Amsterdam. He has exhibited in Holland at Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen, Plan B (Amsterdam), Arti et Amicatiae (Amsterdam), Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, as well as in Germany, the UK and the USA. He organises the performance night ‘I've Never Done This Before’ and has been involved in performance-events at the Barbican Art Gallery, London. He is the author of ‘Silk Handkerchiefs’ and ‘Letter to Robin Kinross’ (co-written with Sam de Groot), both published by TRUE TRUE TRUE, Amsterdam. He also writes the music fanzine Homelovin'. As part of ‘5’, Paul Haworth will present his performance-lecture, 'How to Paint'.
Open
Opening: Saturday 23 October 17.00 – 19.30 hrs
Gallery hours: Wednesday to Saturday 12.00 - 18.00 hrs.