Paintings by the London-based artist.
Paintings by the London-based artist, which respond to disruptions of daily rhythms arising from forced isolation during lockdown.
Pippy Houldsworth Gallery is delighted to present Jesture, a solo exhibition of new paintings by London-based artist Jade Fadojutimi. This will be Fadojutimi's second solo exhibition with the gallery and comes ahead of the artist's participation in Liverpool Biennial 2021 and a solo exhibition at Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami later in the year. The title of the exhibition, Jesture, touches on a sense of the absurd, responding to the disruption of daily rhythms arising from forced isolation during lockdown. Central to Fadojutimi's practice is a repeated questioning of identity, its fluid nature and how the understanding of notions of pleasure, desire and choice are integral to a sense of self. Addressing the exchange between an individual and their environment, the vivid choices of colour and form derive from the associative qualities of the special items that capture her attention and the memories they invoke. Fadojutimi's studio is filled with objects, drawings and writings that evoke nostalgic pleasure. Powerful memories, experienced whilst listening to film, animation and video game soundtracks, transport Fadojutimi to the first time she encountered them, eliciting a response that is experienced through intense colour. The synthesis of these various influences, through which Fadojutimi understands her sense of self, is transformed into large-scale gestural paintings charged with energy and emotion. Described by Fadojutimi as environments, these complex compositions, neither wholly abstract nor figurative, are built up with layers of oil paint, interrupted by the more linear mark-making made possible by her recent use of oil pastels. The introduction of new materials into her painting has enabled Fadojutimi to think more broadly about palette, composition and depth, while translating the spontaneity of her drawing on to the canvas.
