West, London
Leo Robinson
Theories for Cosmic Joy
Tiwani ContemporaryTiwani Contemporary is delighted to present Theories for Cosmic Joy, Leo Robinson’s first solo exhibition in the UK. Leo Robinson (b.1994) is a multi-disciplinary artist who graduated from Manchester School of Art in 2016. He is also the founder and singer-songwriter behind Cult Party, a Manchester-based band noted for music that combines pastoral folk with experimental lyricism. Theories for Cosmic Joy showcases new, previously unseen work developed by Robinson over the past two years. Robinson produces diverse and symbolically rich work, spanning drawing, collage, watercolour, sculpture and video. The exhibition focusses on works on paper which illuminate the philosophical and mystical explorations of his practice. In his work, Robinson narrates the origin stories and founding myths of a fictional micro-civilisation, whose knowledge, beliefs, art, morals and customs echo real-world cultural constructs. This world-building exercise allows the artist to explore and critique fundamental ideas relating to the blocs of thinking that make up civilisation, such as progress, religion and aesthetics. Leo Robinson (b. 1994, Newcastle-under-Lyme) graduated from the Manchester School of Fine Arts in 2016. His artistic practice runs parallel to his explorations in spirituality, self discovery and folklore. His work begins from meditations upon his own attachments and ideals, before questioning how they mirror the wider external human world. Robinson's visual symbols range from the deeply personal to the referential, scientific and historical. Recent exhibitions include Odd One Out/In (curated by Other Grounds Collective), PS Mirabel, Manchester, UK (2017); After School Club, Paradise Works, Manchester, UK (2017); Recollection: Memory and Time, The Portico Gallery, Manchester, UK (2017); Song of the Husband, Manchester International Festival, Manchester, UK (2017) and Reply All, Despina, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2017).