For its second participation at KIAF, Newchild is pleased to present Realms, a group exhibition delving into the intricate relationship between the act of painting and the visual impressions of our surrounding world. This collection brings together artists from Sweden, the UK, Denmark, and the US, each responding uniquely to the visual cues offered by materials, the history of painting, or their personal impressions of the world. United by their shared interest in the formal aspects of painting, these artists explore angles and perspectives that oscillate between keen observation of nature, spirituality, and technology.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, the artists in the exhibition share a commitment to exploring the formal elements of painting—line, color, form, and texture—while delving into deeper thematic concerns. Ella McVeigh’s purely abstract works interrogate line and color, capturing the complexities of looking at images and objects and pushing the boundaries of abstraction. Similarly, Kristian Touborg blends intimacy with art historical references and new technologies, using painterly gestures and industrial materials to create textural fragments that defy categorization.
Madeleine Bialke’s paintings, rooted in the tradition of landscape painting, respond to ecological concerns and reflect her interest in nature and society. Her works, imbued with hope, aim to foster empathy and understanding through the natural world. Chris Oh’s combines two of the most defying practices in modern art: appropriation and the ready-made. In his meticulously rendered copies of Renaissance art, his paintings exist on the most disparate surfaces, ranging from playing cards and crystals to book stacks and Abalone shells.
James Owens blends memory, heritage, contemporary culture, and imagination, creating new narratives that thrive in ambiguity. His paintings introduce viewers to imagined landscapes and figures engaged in searching and experiencing. Viktor Mattsson’s works, characterized by distorted anatomies and a surrealist quality, explore the conflict between good and evil through archetypal figures and narratives that capture moments of tension and equilibrium.
In Realms, these six artists navigate the visual impressions of their surroundings, interpreting them through their distinct cultural lenses. Their works, rich in formal experimentation, invite viewers to explore the oscillation between observation and abstraction, nature and society, technology and tradition.This exhibition offers a profound reflection on the mental processes behind painting, revealing the diverse ways artists find their voices through visual cues and cultural backgrounds.
By interrogating the visual and formal elements of their medium, these artists push the boundaries of painting, creating works that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. Their shared commitment to exploring the intersection of form, content, and context highlights the enduring power of painting as a medium for understanding and interpreting the world around us.
