"It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it
was the season of Darkness..."
'A Tale of Two Cities'. Charles Dickens
Juan Bolivar's paintings occupy seemingly
extreme positions. They playfully exist somewhere between
abstraction and the recognisable world and they hint
both at humour and tragedy.
Geometry Wars presents a new body
of work, comprising twenty one paintings and two sculptures.
Painted mostly in 'greyscale' and muted tones, Bolivar's
palette presents a flipside to the witticism often associated
with his paintings, reminding us, in the words of Peter
Ustinov, that comedy is simply a funny way
of beingserious.
The phrase Geometry Wars describes Bolivar's
'struggle with abstraction' - whether
to subjugate 'the square', and present it as
pure form or whether to animate it into the world of
figuration.
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Juan Bolivar, Silver,
2007. Courtesy and copyright the artist. |
Juan Bolivar, Stupid Dog,
2006. Courtesy and copyright the artist |
Paintings such as Silver, 2007,
exemplify Bolivar's approach. The work
could resemble a reflective surface such as the window
in a lighthouse; a painting of a photograph (Silver as
in silver nitrate) or even a painting of a painting. It
is also a geometric arrangement; and it is suggestive
of the work of other abstract artists such as
Elsworth Kelly or Kasimir Malevich.
The exhibition title alludes at a political resonance
reflected in a number of works featuring familiar war
imagery - a battleship, a plane, a watchtower and a bunker.
But Bolivar also point to his concerns
for pure abstraction and formalism by the inclusion of
two sculptures in this exhibition. Prototype Meter
- a small gold bar and Prototype Kilogram - a
black (25 Kg.) weight. Here the question remains - are
these props simply reminders of our systems for weight
and measures, or are we to read further meanings and associations
suggested by these?
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Bolivar's
paintings hover between the ridiculous and the sublime.
They allude at other worlds beyond the picture plane such
as in paintings like Bell. However under closer inspection,
paintings such as Raft of the Medusa or Shack,
show a battered side to modernism's promise of a new world.
Juan Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela
in 1966 and lives and works in London. He was selected
for EAST International 2007, Norwich and has exhibited
in numerous group exhibitions in the UK and internationally.
Between 2001 and 2005, Bolivar curated
and organised ten independent, contemporary art exhibitions
in temporary locations in London under the banner of TRAILER.
Geometry Wars is a John Hansard
Gallery exhibition. Juan Bolivar
is represented by Galerie Lucy Mackintosh,
Switzerland. A fully-illustrated catalogue accompanying
the exhibition will be launched on Saturday 26 July.
Limited Edition Juan Bolivar Print: For
a chance to win a signed copy of Stupid Dog,
2008 (part of an Edition of 10) pick up an entry form
at our reception desk, simply answer a few questions relating
to the exhibition and enter this free prize draw!
Artist's Interview
JHG Director Stephen Foster in conversation
with Juan Bolivar. Video produced by
e-media, University of Southampton.
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