PORTRAITS 19TH JUNE – 2ND JULY 2018
PORTRAITS
19th June – 2nd July 2018
Preview: Wednesday 20th June 18:00 – 20:30
The Brick Lane Gallery – The Annexe, 93-95 Sclater Street, London, E1 6HR
MICHELE PAU | JENNIFER SALZMAN | HANNAH NISHAT-BOTERO | SARAH BOCHATON | SVEN PELS | LINE HOLTEGAARD
Portraiture as a genre in art has its roots in prehistoric times, with artists throughout the history of art using portraiture to preserve human likeness for future generations. Portraiture has evolved into a creative genre, with contemporary artists experimenting with a variety of styles and mediums in their presentation of the human form. This exhibition brings together a disparate range of styles, with artists working with a range of techniques, from illustration to painting to photography. The Brick Lane Gallery presents an exploration into the genre as a whole, with a selection of artists offering their own interpretation of the human form.
Michele Pau is an artist who grew up on the Island of Sardinia. Michele’s portraiture aims to understand and capture the psychology of the characters in her work. His aim is to present ‘what is beyond the visible’, focusing not just on the surface reality but looking beyond this, into the inner emotions of the model. ‘I do not care to copy my models exactly, but to paint in a way that communicates what I know and I feel about them’.
https://www.instagram.com/MAIDIREMAIK/
Sven Pels is a Dutch artist who works with oil on canvas, creating intimate portraits, focusing on the eyes and upper face of the model. His thick brush strokes create visually striking portraits, often using the model’s direct gaze to command the attention of the viewer. The rough edges convey the effect of motion, as if the portrait captures a fleeting moment in time. Sven’s signature style is one that he creates from emotion rather than a set of rules. His apartment and studio aren’t without traces of creativity, with paint stains found ‘in unusual places’.
www.svenpels.com | https://www.instagram.com/svenpels/
Jennifer Salzman’s work speaks to the multiple rolls of the female voice. Formally trained as a photographer, Jennifer’s early work included traditional darkroom printing using the portrait narrative as the backbone of her dialogue. After experimenting with different printing techniques, Jennifer now works in mixed media, using silk embroidery to stitch and enhance certain parts of the imagery over the top of the photograph. The stitching relates to the East Asian folklore of the ‘red thread of fate’, suggesting the idea of destiny of life and the roles of strength, control, understanding and love that compels a person to move forward.
‘My work reflects my most relevant moments within my life. I feel I define a unique segment of society that wants to be heard and longs for emotional consideration for the everyday struggles that are faced in many scenarios’.
‘I find it important to use “old” technology such as film-based photography and traditional embroidery to create new mixed media-based narratives. I feel that along with the content of my work discussing continued dynamics of life history, the construction of my work supports the content using historical craft that is also commonplace in female history’.
Hannah Nishat-Botero is a Colombian-Pakistani illustrator, who was born and raised in Dubai, UAE. Her illustrations depict quiet moments, simultaneously eliciting and responding to indiscernible effect. In most of her current work, Hannah combines both analogue and digital drawing techniques. She is currently completing her BFA in Illustration and BA in Culture and Media Studies at The New School in New York City.
www.hannahnishatbotero.com | https://www.instagram.com/by.hannahnishatbotero/
Line Holtegaard is a Danish artist and illustrator. For these 3 portraits Line began the work by sketching the portrait, making sure the compositions were solid and leaving nothing to chance before starting on the painting. She seeks to picture the sweet melancholy mood of a summer night, using the children that pass though her home as models. She then spends many hours painting the portrait and it is only in the last stage of painting, when applying the final layer, that there is no way of controlling the outcome, and there is, for the artist, a thrilling risk of ruining everything.
Educated as a graphic designer, she has worked as a Creative Director for several top magazines in Denmark, earning her many awards for graphic design over the years. In 2013 she was named “Artist of the year” at the “Nordjyske Censored” in Denmark and in February 2018, she participated in the Danish version of the BBC program “Portrait Artist of the Year”. Line Holtegaard has designed prints and patterns for the Danish fashion industry and she makes beautiful portraits on commission. She often uses flowers and animals in her work, creating a unique and magical universe.
www.lineholtegaard.dk | https://www.instagram.com/drawingthelines/ | www.facebook.com/lineholtegaard.kunst
Sarah Bochaton is a French artist who attempts to capture the subtle nuances that exist in the female spirit, through colour, form and technique. ‘My process consists of adding watercolour layers over pencil or black ink drawings. The portrait serves as a guide to create forms and put colors alongside shapes. For this series I wanted to explore vibrancy and feelings of exuberance through a warmth colour palette. I would like to give room for the viewer’s imagination to create a context, and a unique experience with each portrait. I hope to capture energetic moments and also explore the more seductive nature of women’.
After studying music, architecture and design, Sarah has worked as a freelance illustrator and also now runs her own online art print shop. In 2017 she exhibited mixed artworks with a Photographer in Rencontre d’Arles.
https://www.instagram.com/sarahbo_illustration/ | www.sarahbochaton.com | https://www.facebook.com/sarahbochatonillustration/
If you wish to know more about our programme of exhibitions or if you want to become a future exhibitor email us at info@thebricklanegallery.com
