Iris
11 Mar–30 Apr 2022A multivalent word, Iris lends itself to associations with sight and perception (the eye, iridescence), with the natural world, with the fluidity of language and with mythology.
In astronomy, the Iris nebula is a cloud of interstellar dust particles, reflecting the light of nearby stars; in mythology, Iris is messenger (eiris) for the Gods, riding down to Earth on a rainbow (iris); in botany, the Iris genus spans a spectrum of colours and blooms at this time; in anatomy, the iris is the coloured part of the eye that controls how much light enters in.
Each of the assembled artworks allows light to flow through their surfaces, processes and materials, affording glimpses beneath the picture plane into a multitude of significations. Spanning painting, printing, video, weaving, pleating and watercolour, there is a shared delight in process, whether by hand, by brush, digitally or mechanically. Perceptual tricks recur as images are pushed and stretched to their very edge, gesturing to a field of meaning and matter beyond our measure – at once cosmic and crystalline.
In astronomy, the Iris nebula is a cloud of interstellar dust particles, reflecting the light of nearby stars; in mythology, Iris is messenger (eiris) for the Gods, riding down to Earth on a rainbow (iris); in botany, the Iris genus spans a spectrum of colours and blooms at this time; in anatomy, the iris is the coloured part of the eye that controls how much light enters in.
Each of the assembled artworks allows light to flow through their surfaces, processes and materials, affording glimpses beneath the picture plane into a multitude of significations. Spanning painting, printing, video, weaving, pleating and watercolour, there is a shared delight in process, whether by hand, by brush, digitally or mechanically. Perceptual tricks recur as images are pushed and stretched to their very edge, gesturing to a field of meaning and matter beyond our measure – at once cosmic and crystalline.
Caline Aoun, Anna Barham, Alice Channer, Melissa Gordon, Adia Wahid, Andrea Zittel
Curated by
Edward Ball
Curated by
Edward Ball