About Lumen
I made Lumen / REZ / hard kandy for Transistor at the Southbank, as a large 200cm square 9 panel work, that in its original form had a stark black frame incorporated into the background and fairly simple almost biomorphic line work. It takes more than a little inspiration from the work of Gilbert and George, and the way they composite their highly coloured photos from multiple components.
Later that year I recoloured the piece with a more complex softened underpainting, and then shuffled the nine individual square pieces randomly around the grid, in order to create a second set of darker forms underneath the main study, keeping the original white highlights and coloured volumes largely unchanged.
I was working with the idea of the underpainting at the time, adding in extra imagery behind the main study, to add detail, density and intrigue.
It’s always an interesting exercise to start off with a primed canvas that isn’t white, maybe something mid toned instead, as this neutral mid toned ground can then be darkened or lightened as you work into it, as opposed to a white canvas that can only be made darker. It’s a way of working that has its roots in chiaroscuro and working with chalks of course.
I think the idea for tessellating the work into nine squares and then moving the pieces around comes directly from one of those plastic puzzles where you move 16 (technically 15) squares around until the picture realigns, by sliding the interlocking tiles around in the frame.
I love the idea of reworking a piece with glazes of colour, and adding to the original composition in any number of semi accidental ways, adding some chance and happenstance to the rigidity of the original drawing, even if, as here, that drawing is already an ultra loose series of forms flowing down the canvas.
The black ghost variation is simply a recognition that the linework of the original drawing has an interest and value of its own, a life outside of the colour saturated lacquered kandy edition. When I'm drawing, I always work on the forms in black and white first, to ensure that the structure and logic they contain makes some kind of sense, before getting lost in the colourwork. I tend to think that any good final piece needs really strong bones to hold up the colour successfully...
Lumen in situ
Price and dimensions
Lumen / black ghost is a metallic Lambda photographic print, optionally mounted to Plexiglass and Dibond, and fitted with a hidden subframe, ready to install.
Work can be supplied unmounted and ready to frame if you’d prefer.
The work is individually signed and numbered verso, with both a unique catalogue raisonné number and the edition number for guaranteed authenticity.
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From an edition of 12
Image size ⋅ 120cm H x 120cm W
Artwork only, ready to frame ⋅ £2,800
Mounted behind Plexiglass and fitted with a hidden subframe ⋅ £3,400
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Dimensions and framing specs can be varied on request, to suit your space.
Please do get in touch here if you’d like to discuss possibilities ⟶
Associated works
