In 1976, The Pink Floyd hired the innovative Hipgnosis team, Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson, to shoot the ‘Animals’ album cover at Battersea Power Station in London. They organised a giant blow-up pig which was attached to ropes and supposed to float above the Power Station for three consecutive days, but unfortunately on the second day, the pig slipped its moorings. The Floyd had hired an ex-police marksman to shoot it down in such circumstances, but he hadn’t turned up that day. Jumbo jet pilots, flying into London that morning, told their passengers, “on the right of the plane you will see the Houses of Parliament and on the left… a flying pig!”. No one could believe their eyes. Ultimately, chased by police and press, the pig deflated ignominiously in a field in Kent. I shot thirty-six frames in an attempt to tell its story…

Knight Webb Gallery’s opening exhibition at our new space in Battersea is a revival of In a Silent Way with artists Anders Knutsson and Lesley Hilling. The combination of organic wooden structures and gentle monochrome painting demonstrates a natural connection between artistic styles, both visibly and conceptually.

Knutsson’s paintings are a synthesis of Nordic and American culture, combining Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, and Northern Romanticism. Equilibrium and understatement are the foundation of everything Knutsson creates.

Hilling’s wall sculptures instantly recognisable for their organic, architectural forms and understated elegance. In her practice there is a system of scouring the streets for materials, and sometimes destroying them before their transformation into sculpture. Lesley values nostalgia. Her house and her sculpture practice are testament to a strong attachment to the past. The recycling of materials has grown out of her core values.

The taste for Modern British Art has grown considerably over the past decade. There are certain forms and characteristics which place this genre firmly in the British landscape, however artists of the late 1940’s and 1950’s bridge a cultural division between two distinct periods of art history.

In the pre war era compositions remain predominantly classical, referring to the figure, the landscape, and other Victorian themes; even Picasso with his experimental lust chose subjects which were more or less classical.

The post war era brings a noticeable change. Artists seem to awaken from a pastoral sleep, into the fuel consuming world of the machine age, the monstrous hardware of WW2 wiping Victorian sentiment from their memories. Abstract Expressionism appears to be an authentic response to the realities of a new, noisier, and perhaps more unkind world.

Knight Webb Gallery presents Art of the Machine Age as an extension of our contemporary art program. Early paintings by Alan Davie, Adrian Heath, and William Gear hang alongside recent abstract works by contemporary artists, whose visions resonate with the melancholic optimism of post war Britain.

This is Knight Webb Gallery’s first exhibition of period artworks; however, we have been building modern collections behind the scenes for many years. Our relationships with collectors around the world allow us to locate outstanding artworks, which have not yet circulated through the secondary market and auction houses.

‘From an early age, growing up in Jerusalem I had a strong affinity with ceramics; the Japanese vessels that my grandfather collected and the abundant shards of pots from local archeology. Originally ceramics were a way for me to focus on something other than research, but recently I have felt compelled to combine my two passions. As I started transcribing my calculations onto clay, I realised that the process itself was not a mere reflection of my research, but was influencing it.’

QUANTUM CERAMICS is the first solo exhibition of ceramic works by Theoretical Physicist Nadav Drukker, based at Kings College London, who makes traditional studio pottery as an alternative means to communicate his scientific research.

Drukker’s string theory related ceramics are presented as a series of six projects: Circle, Cusp, Index, Polygons, Cut, and Defect. Each series is based on a research paper by the artist, with the shape and texture of each piece reflecting the research. The works are all traditional glazed stoneware and porcelain vessels.

The works are presented as a series of six projects: Circle, Cusp, Index, Polygons, Cut, and Defect. Each series is based on a research paper by Drukker.

17th March – 8th April 2017 at Knight Webb Gallery, Brixton.

8th April, 10:30 – 12:00  Breakfast With Artists: Nadav Drukker

Images from ‘Synthesis’

‘Synthesis was an inspiring event. Around 80 people painted throughout the day, including 20 children and young people. A number of serious artists and many welcome experimenters contributed to create the large scale multi-layered mural
The fluorescent / UV light reaction gradually took full effect as daylight disappeared. By evening the walls looked wild.

Louis, Youth and Mixmaster Morris gave us a thoughtful soundtrack to work to.’

– Rufus Knight-Webb

Press Release – Synthesis – UV Collaboration Event

Press Release

‘Juliane Hundertmark from Berlin is at the top of her game, effortlessly informal and gently satirical.’

Breakfast is orientated around Hundertmark’s recent series of large scale works on canvas titled ‘Breakfast’. For the past year the artist has been exploring this commonplace ritual and gathering of friends and family in their sleepy, hungover and occasionally dishevelled state.

Since Hundertmark initiated this series in 2015, it has resonated with her audience and inspired associations and memories of scenes from their own lives. These strangely animated characters are not simply stereotypes, they are aspects of real personality types acting crudely, honestly and as themselves. Hundertmark has produced these new paintings in her distinctive, confident style, with her usual balance of satire and fantasy.

Press Release

Douglas McDougall – Works on Paper – Press Release

Known for his stark and captivating portraits, this solo show promises to be one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of McDougall’s work for many years.

The exhibition will run from the 1st to the 30th July.

Private View, 30th June, 6 – 9pm.

Christian Furr, The Humble Cheese – Press Release