Paul McGowan’s “PRECIPICE” at The Eden Project
Eden Project - 5 November
The 3rd show of Paul McGowan's "Precipice" will be staged back at the Eden Project and will focus on His Blockhead project collaborations with artists from a variety of artistic backgrounds. It will be his final works for the Eden Project. The collaborations will include paintings, instillations and audio pieces that have been developed for the precipice series. McGowan informs us that where “Living on the Edge” was about the effect Man has on our surroundings, “Precipice” is about the effect the surrounding we have created has on us and our own existence. Examining social fear and anxiety. This Exhibition will include The Much Publicised “Divinity of Monsters” Now in the private collection of London art collector Udhyam Amin. McGowan is currently revising the 3rd panel of the triptych that was described in Vanessa Thorpe’s column in The Guardian as 'A potent symbol of a culture that's losing its self-respect'.
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The Blockhead Project at the Core Eden - 11-5-10
Contributing Artists include.
A world class guitar hero, a Grammy-nominated songwriter and composer, an international recording artist with over 20 acclaimed solo albums to date, and a soundtrack composer for film and television, GARY LUCAS is on the move in 2009. He was just cited as one of the “100 Greatest Living Guitarists” in Classic Rock magazine (UK). His latest album, a collaboration with Indian vocalist Najma Akhtar, is currently #4 on the World Music Charts Europe. Gary has performed This summer Gary sold-out the Holland Festival in Amsterdam 2 nights running with a new silent film score he performed live, made his performing debut in South Korea and Latin America (he has toured in 38 countries), recorded a new album with legendary Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham in Bogota Colombia, and rocked festivals in France, Brazil and Spain.
Dubbed “The Thinking Man’s Guitar Hero” by The New Yorker, “The world’s most popular avant-rock guitarist” by The Independent (UK), “Legendary Leftfield guitarist” by The Guardian (UK), “Guitarist of 1000 Ideas” by The New York Times, “a true axe God” by Melody Maker, and “One of the five best guitarists in the world” by the national Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny, the British world music magazine fRoots recently described Gary Lucas as “without question, the most innovative and challenging guitarist playing today.” Rolling Stone’s David Fricke wrote: “Gary Lucas is one of the best and most original guitarists in America” in a review of Gary’s latest avant-rock album “Coming Clean”. Gary was also selected by the editors of DownBeat Magazine as one of their “Hot 66 6-Stringers”,
Gary Lucas tours the world relentlessly both solo and with several different ensembles, including his longtime band Gods and Monsters, whose ranks once included the late singer Jeff Buckley. Gary co- wrote two of Jeff Buckley’s most famous hits, “Grace” and “Mojo Pin”, which later became the title track and the opening track on Jeff’s double platinum Sony album “Grace” – which MOJO magazine recently named the #1 Modern Classic Rock Album. Gary and Jeff’s early collaborations can also be heard on the Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas album “Songs to No One”, which charted internationally with worldwide sales approaching 100,000. Other notable Lucas releases include the soon-to-be reissued “The Edge of Heaven”, an album of Gary Lucas’ lush arrangements of classic 1930’s Chinese pop songs, which was #1 on the World Music charts and received rave reviews around the world from Rolling Stone to the Hong Kong Music Weekly. Gary’s compilation of the best of his early band and solo work entitled “Operators are Standing By” garnered a 4-star MOJO review: “This album confirms Gary Lucas as THE psychedelic guitarist for the post-modern set.” Most of Gary’s extensive back catalogue as well as his current releases were recently licensed for digital distribution by IODA, and are now available on iTunes and on digital portals worldwide.
Gary continues to lead his longtime NYC-based band Gods and Monsters, a super-group based around Gary’s guitar playing, singing, and song writing, featuring Billy Ficca (Television) and Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers). They recently played a Live Nation booked 20th Anniversary Show in NYC, and have a new live DVD and studio album wrapped, produced by Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads). Gary is also collaborating with the UK Indian vocalist Najma Akhtar and their debut album “Rishte” was released this summer to 5 star reviews, with an upcoming tour in the works including an appearance at WOMAD Las Palmas in November. Gary also plays with vocalist Dean Bowman in their spiritual roots project Chase the Devil, with an upcoming European tour and debut album release. He also plays with DJ Cosmo in electronica duo Wild Rumpus, who have released 3 successful 12-inch singles to date with an album on the way. Gary Lucas also co-leads Fast ‘N’ Bulbous, who have released 2 albums devoted to the music of avant--rock visionary Captain Beefheart, who first put Gary Lucas on the musical map as a force to be reckoned with.
Chris Stocker is one of the country’s most respected cover artists. Chris travelled extensively during the 80s as a photographer. He began working in the UK for a major British Publisher as a creative hub for there visual projects, infusing photography, illustration, 3D modelling software and Photoshop. Chris has developed a visual language that many will recognize and is responsible for many the of the more technically Challenging covers and advertising projects on our shelves today. Chris also writes tutorials for computer arts magazines. He is the director of Chris Stocker design.
Hin. www.hinstudio.com
HIN, (PHILIP PAK HIN CHIU) a painter-illustrator-designer. Born in Hong Kong, China, 1981, moved to United Kingdom at the age of 12, graduated from Kent Institute of Art & Design in 2004, then moved to Brussels to continue a 1 year fine art- painting post graduate course. Now base & work in London. Hin started drawings like most Hong Kong children learning from comics and manga, at the same time receiving Chinese traditional watercolour painting lesson.
After several trips to China (Beijing, Yunnan, Shangri-la etc.) and experienced the colours of his cultural roots such as ancient buildings, emperor houses, temples and Ethnic Minorities villages, Hin became more assured for his use of colours.
Utilizing everyday objects from buttons, zippers, woods, toys, candies, down to twigs and sand, HIN merges daily experiences with abstract visions. These textures collide in a cacophony of colours forming 3-dimensional images into what can he would call sculpted paintings. Like a shaman's conjuring the invisible world into the visible, HIN injects life into forgotten and disenfranchised giving them a voice in the visible world of his art. The work confidently pokes at different bubbles of socio-political norms and is full of questions. As there is very little pretence and the paintings are always very accessible and open to the viewer.
Paul McGowan's "PRECIPICE" at Mauger's Modern Art London, Bath & The Eden Project
Mauger Modern Art in London - 10 June to 3 July 2010 Mauger Modern Art, 81 Rochester Row, London SW1P 1LJ.
Mauger Modern Art in Bath - 8 July to 31 July at 6 Bartlett Street, Bath, BA1 2QZ. Contact Richard Mauger for Details 0044 (0) 1225 315 110.
Eden Project - 5 November
This Year Paul McGowan is opening 3 progressive bodies of work that follow on from the Eden Projects “Living on The Edge” Program. Each of the 3 shows will have its own identity. The new works were produced on McGowan’s Ark Studio that was given to him by Spectrum, a Cornish autism charity that is heading a pioneering study in the relationship between autism and art. A program that McGowan is participating in and helping Spectrum to develop. In each of the shows a selection of work from McGowan’s experimental ‘Blockhead Project’ will be exhibited. These works will include an audio piece made for the project by American guitar Legend Gary Lucas who has previously worked with Jeff Buckley and Captain Beefheart.
At Mauger Modern Art London Paul will be exhibiting his new works that have followed on from the Eden Project. This exhibition will include Large Paintings, multi media and instillation pieces. There will also be a selection of McGowan’s experimental collaborative pieces.
The second show will include key pieces from his original Body of work from the “Living on The Edge” series, and a selection of new works including drawings. This exhibition will be the overview of the 3 years of McGowan’s work starting from his appointment as The Eden Projects Artist in residence. This will be a unique view into the vast body of work Produced by McGowan over the last 3 years. “I feel we are now confronted with a choice. We are standing on the precipice. Things will have to start changing. The physical and emotional landscape is changing and there is so much tension and anxiety all around us. ”
The 3rd show will be staged back at the Eden Project and will focus on His Blockhead project collaborations with artists from a variety of artistic backgrounds. It will be his final works for the Eden Project. The collaborations will include paintings, instillations and audio pieces that have been developed for the precipice series. McGowan informs us that where “Living on the Edge” was about the effect Man has on our surroundings, “Precipice” is about the effect the surrounding we have created has on us and our own existence. Examining social fear and anxiety. This Exhibition will include The Much Publicised “Divinity of Monsters” Now in the private collection of London art collector Udhyam Amin. McGowan is currently revising the 3rd panel of the triptych that was described in Vanessa Thorpe’s column in The Guardian as 'A potent symbol of a culture that's losing its self-respect'.
Mauger Modern Art London is in the heart of Westminster just 6 minutes walk from Tate Britain and Victoria tube. The gallery is ideally positioned to introduce the work of national and international artists to a wide audience. It also as a hub from which the directors communicate with clients and institutions while preparing a rigorous art fair and exhibition schedule. The gallery's branch in Bath is the biggest commercial gallery in the city, and exhibits shows that begin in London and move to the South West- exposing represented artists to clients and collectors from two different regions. The gallery's driving ethos is to encourage and stimulate experimentation through the support and presentation of new works by emerging and established artists. For an invitation to the private view please contact Richard Mauger.
MAUGER MODERN - BATH
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Paul McGowan Interview 10-3-2010
By Caroline Willatt
C.W. Your 2008 exhibition ‘Living on the Edge’, which marked the beginning of your residency at the Eden Project, looked at the damage man has done to the planet, how would you describe the development of your work since this exhibition?
P.M. “Well I flipped it about onto us. Now I am looking at the social impact the world we have moulded is having on us. We live under an umbrella of tension. It smothers us”.
C.W. Please could you describe the thought process behind ‘Precipice’?
P.M. “Well there are different aspects and processes within this body of work. With the collaborations each artist has a simple brief and they are free to interpret it as they will. I then get the work along with Chris stocker and deconstruct it and start rebuilding the artwork. Rather than curate the show we curate an individual piece of artwork”.
C.W. What reaction do you want to prompt from the
audience of ‘Precipice’?
P.M. ”Any reaction is a good reaction. People have a short attention span. Hopefully something positive. I would be happy if they were amused. I would like people to relate”.
C.W. After leaving school early, striking success in the fashion industry before attending a variety of art schools, what impact do you feel that your background has had on your work?
P.M. “The fashion industry has had no positive impact on my life. It is a shallow empty world and its more about who you know or who you’re fucking than about talent. Any early inspiration came from difficult situations that I have been through and a passion for painting. I had an unstable past. I could have gone in several different directions, actually I have. I’ve seen a lot of violence and I’ve had a lot of problems. When I was growing up there was a rich diverse selection of styles and attitudes. British kids had there own identity that was different to anywhere else. We embraced things that pushed hard on anything taboo. Sadly in the 80s the fashion industry got inside our homes and destroyed individualism and over the past 25 years has turned our youth into clones. Everyone looks the same from 16 to sixty. We all wear the same cloths. There is no diversity of expression. I remember in the early 90s being at a party at Versace’s and Vivien Westwood turned up on an old butcher’s bike. She walked around for five minutes stating everything was vulgar and left. You got to love that old bird. She was right”.
C.W. Would you say that there is a particular theme or characteristic that has consistently run through all of your work, or is each phase completely different and new?
P.M. “I try to exhaust each body of work before I show it. So come opening night I have moved on. The thing is things can come back and get you again. I have been looking at old notebooks from 92 -93 recently and I love them and they have started to inform my work again. You never know in this business. It’s the only place you never grow old. It’s all about the work and how your mind formulates ideas. You become your work I guess. Well what I am trying to say is the work reflects the life you lead. If your life changes so will the work”.
C.W. A lot of your work has involved collaborations, what affect do you feel this has on your way of working?
P.M. “I got interested in collaborations around 2000. The process is sometimes slow, but every now and then you discover something that’s special. I never really expect to find anything, if it appears it appears. You can’t be selfish working like this and most importantly you have to be honest about the piece. You cannot compromise and sometimes you have to be brutal”.
C.W. You work with a range of different media, including painting, drawing and installation; do your ideas form first or your choice of media?
P.M. “I tend to do large bodies of paintings, then to drawings, then maybe to instillation. I work with what’s at hand at the time. Sometimes I might set up for something other than I’m working on in the middle of a series but that’s quite rare. I get absorbed into the medium. I never start with some contrived plan of action. Things happen or they don’t”.
C.W. Which medium do you feel most comfortable working with and why?
P.M. “I feel comfortable with everything. It is all just a means to an end. Medium is just a vehicle”.
C.W. What are your intentions for your future work?
P.M. “I write a lot and I have wanted to shoot a short film for a few years now. I have built up a lot material and I think I have the support network in place to make it happen. That’s one possibility. I tried to give up artwork a few years ago I became disillusioned. Then one day I did a small drawing. A week later I had a fully equipped studio and I was working on a new body of work. I am not making any plans things just start happening”.
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