Nick Dawes – Lean and prop
To lean and to prop are the two behaviour patterns that Dawes allows, indeed welcomes to the canvas in his working process. His painting process is usually a lengthy one, which involves a gradual distillation of everything that makes a scene memorable: mood and atmosphere, feeling and emotions, bodily sensation and state of mind. In Dawes’s case, succession is signified physically by various means: by then overlay of one colour on another, by the orchestration and direction of the poured lines and shapes, by the implied sequential movements of the painter’s hand.
We are pleased to announce the first Berlin exhibition Lean and Prop by British painter Nick Dawes. Alongside a group of abstract, bright paintings, the exhibition presents a selection of small-format, monochrome pencil drawings.
Nick Dawes’ painting process is usually a lengthy one and involves a gradual distillation of everything that makes a scene memorable: mood and atmosphere, feeling and emotions, bodily sensation, and state of mind.
His paintings provoke a personal response in the viewer, with the focus placed on individual emotion rather than subject matter. Feelings of empathy, affinity, and even recognition are therefore appropriate responses to the work.
In Dawes’ case, succession is physically signified through a variety of means: by layering one colour on top of another, through the orchestration and direction of poured lines and shapes, and by the implication of sequential movements of the painter’s hand.
The complexity of the surface is a necessary condition for the representation of complex emotions, and feeling remains at the centre of Dawes’ art. The paintings selected for this exhibition, as is always the case in his work, require the viewer to engage with them on their own terms.
The exhibition title Lean and Prop refers to the deep unity between the artist and his material. To lean and to prop are the two behavioural patterns that Dawes allows—indeed welcomes—onto the canvas in his working process.
From 1988 to 1989, Nick Dawes studied at Gloucestershire College of Art and Technology in the Art and Design Foundation Diploma course. That same year, he began studying at the Polytechnic Department of the University of Brighton, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1992. In 2006, he was nominated for the Celeste Art Prize.
Dawes’ work has been exhibited widely in Europe, including at Galerie Lucy Mackintosh in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the John Hansard Gallery in Southampton. His most recent major exhibition took place at Turps Gallery in London. He lives and works in London.
The artist will be present at the opening on 11 March.
