A bit of work

I have an exhibition at Espai Cenit in Barcelona, from May 23rd to June 13th

here’s wot I wrote:

I was thinking about calling this exhibition "Walk from your dream to mine", a line from a song I like, and because that's what's happening, right? You're coming from inside your head, to inside mine.

But then I thought that was very pretentious, and after talking with a friend, decided to call it "a bit of work".

Painting, for me, is trying to listen to a thing that comes through me that I don't really understand. Something wants to be expressed, and I can't do it through words. Painting lines came to me over time. Years of trying things out. There must be something that speaks to me about repeated lines, as I keep on painting them (I stole some of that last sentence). I find them a good way to express rhythm and movement, and to hold and express color in a gentle way. I haven't finished painting lines yet: I don't know if I will.

I saw a film about the photographer Guido Guidi, in which he said that the artist puts a lot of effort into creating art - so the audience should expect to have to put in a bit of effort too. I thought that was correct.

But I do want to help: non-figurative, non-narrative art does not come naturally to everyone. The way to look at it, I suggest, is to treat it like instrumental music, just listen to it and see what feelings come out. If you hear a voice asking "what does this mean?" then try to ignore it, and if you hear another voice saying "ah, this reminds me of a tree (or whatever)" then try not to listen to that either.

Try to experience the form and the color with a quiet mind. If the work speaks to you this way, then that is what it means. But, art is not always universal - it may not speak to you at all, and that is fine.

So you have to do a bit of work, and there's not even a guarantee of anything in return! 

These paintings are me trying to express something that I am trying to understand, but don't have a language for. Over time, I hope I get better at expressing it.

This is the best I can do so far.

I hope you enjoy it!