South, London
Alison Turnbull
Family Resemblance
Matt's GalleryMatt's Gallery is pleased to present Family Resemblance, Alison Turnbull's fifth exhibition with the gallery. Expanding on the distinctive geometric abstract paintings she is known for, Turnbull has been exploring a new way of working. Resisting waste in the studio, Turnbull has for years saved canvas and linen offcuts. Towards the end of last year, she gathered what she had—prepared and unprimed pieces alike—and ordered simple wooden stretchers for each. The result was a set of 27 small, irregularly sized rectangular canvases, which she began to work on, making small paintings with each new work responding to the previous one. Some paintings sprung from details in other artworks—a patterned floor in a Duccio painting, or a loudspeaker design in a drawing by Klutsis. Others derived from everyday objects such as tiles on the London Underground or a Mexican sewing kit. Several works are subtle colour fields, mixing tones of linen and cotton duck in oil paint. Beneath their ludic impulse lies Turnbull's enduring engagement with the formal concerns of painting: light, colour, corner, edge, and the essential vulnerability of the painted image. From this initial process, further ideas have emerged. Turnbull has begun making small elliptical canvases and is experimenting with ways of taking the paintings off the wall. The final form comes together when Turnbull installs the full set of works at Matt's Gallery.