In her first solo-presentation in Germany, the British artist Celia Hempton (born 1981) will present a large-scale wall-based work titled ‘Vug’.
Celia Hempton is not only a studio painter in the traditional sense, but often works outside of this reflective environment, making final paintings in specific and sometimes challenging situations.
The resulting works, therefore, are witnesses to what the artist encounters – be it objects and materials on outdoor peripheral and urban construction sites, or body parts in intimate confrontations with men and women.
Luminous and at times aggressively bright and dirty colour combinations frequently activate surfaces with conflicting degrees of presence or demand in relation to one’s recognition and perception of time.
This sentiment is echoed in the depiction of the ‘ruined’ gallery wall upon which the works are hung.
Geometric abstract shapes sit underneath the wall mounted paintings, acting as ambiguous props against the backdrop of this stage-like proposition.
That Hempton allows herself – as compared to earlier works – to be highly influenced by her immediate surroundings in choosing her motifs, and references music culture, fashion, urbanity and intimacy, makes it possible to read her work as a liberated laissez-faire gesture in dealing with the history of her medium.