Antwerp-based gallery Newchild presents Continuum, a selection of new works by Konstantina Krikzoni and Ella McVeigh.
Constantly unfolding, the works of Konstantina Krikzoni and Ella McVeigh, two London-based painters featured in Newchild's debut participation at No. 9 Cork Street, occupy separate rooms within the exhibition space. Both artists share a common interest in the formal aspects of painting: line, colour, value and space are employed to create canvases that exhibit gestural bravado in various formats. With an egalitarian approach to spatial composition, the artists individually prompt an attitude of attentive observation.
Konstantina Krikzoni's new works revolve around the theme of transmutation. Her canvases present an intuitive exploration of feminine bodily forms and organic shapes, constantly shifting between figuration and abstraction. Within the exhibited works, Krikzoni utilizes continuous lines and delicate washes of oil paint to establish a non-hierarchical composition, portraying voluptuous bodies that reclaim feminine sensuality. The figures depicted in her paintings assume kneeling, bending, and reclining positions, typically associated with intimacy. This unapologetically sexual display of the human form transcends shame and scrutinizes societal expectations imposed on female behaviour.
The non-representational works of Ella McVeigh present an enduring exploration of line, colour, and space through meticulous gestures and bold washes of oil paint. In the exhibited works, the artist underscores the complexities of visual perception while resisting narrative interpretation. Drawing inspiration from Misericord carvings, McVeigh focuses on their spatiality and sculptural characteristics and how they are translated into a two-dimensional plane. In the exhibition, McVeigh also presents works that continue her explorations of Refractions. The series stems from observations on the behaviour of prisms—transparent objects with polished surfaces that have the ability to refract or bend light as it passes through them. McVeigh's inquiry focuses on observation and the nature of images as a mental performance of visual decision-making. She sees her way of painting as a problem-solving process, creating harmony out of chaos while combining natural and artificial structures.
The two unique voices of Krikzoni and McVeigh presented in Continuum, dissolve the boundaries of conventional storytelling. Instead, their compelling works foster a look into the formalism of painting to discover a visual symphony of emotions and experiences that transcend mere representation.
