On 25 February 2016, contemporary Spanish artist, Ernesto Cánovas, will present ‘Multiplied’, his forthcoming exhibition at Halcyon Gallery, London. This brand new series of work uses large scale mix-media on wood panel painting as part of Cánovas’ ongoing exploration into cinema, abstraction and found imagery.
On 16 February 2016, contemporary Spanish artist, Ernesto Cánovas, will present ‘Multiplied’, his forthcoming exhibition at Halcyon Gallery, London. This brand new series of work uses large scale mix-media on wood panel painting as part of Cánovas’ ongoing exploration into cinema, abstraction and found imagery.
Influenced by recent popular culture, Cánovas combines decontextualised visual media to create a unique narrative sequence. By introducing abstract colour panels into the composition, Cánovas breaks down the boundaries between light, colour, form and abstraction. The contrast between natural and man-made is highlighted through the use of applied materials to the wooden canvas, which range from graphite drawings, acrylic, mixed media, enamel paint and resin.
Ernesto Cánovas, An American Trilogy from Halcyon Gallery
The artworks resonate a feeling of calm nostalgia – created as the artist adds and removes layers from the wood panel on which the images are transferred, they appear faded and worn like a snapshot or flash of an event’s memory. Some of the work on display is a collaborative partnership between Ernesto and his wife, Polish artist Gracjana Rejemer Cánovas.
In an interview with Brit Es Magazine Cánovas notes that “Historic events shouldn’t be forgotten and reflecting on these from time to time is a positive thing, not least because it helps us to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Today’s events are tomorrow’s history.”
DIFFERENCE IN THE EXPRESSIVE FUNCATION OF THE CURRENT EVENTS, 2012 © Ernesto Cánovas. Mixed media and resin on board
Colin Greensdale, Director at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture, writes in his essay on Cánovas’ work that “He wrestles with apparent effortless ease to combine imagery and colour, delivering us dreamlike instances to confuse us with partially remembered moments and clear periods of calm. A series of works by Ernesto is indeed a multiplied task. Developing and pushing themes in subtle directions; re-thinking, re-engaging, reproducing and each time delivering a unique instance….a resonating perfect moment caught in time for enjoyment and reflection.”
This is Canova’s fourth exhibition at Halcyon Gallery, after An American Trilogy, Turneresque and Overlapping View. The gallery is based in Mayfair, London and represents a selection of renowned international artists as Bob Dylan, Dale Chihuly, Lorenzo Quinn, Mauro Perucchetti Dashi Namdakov, Mitch Griffiths, Pedro Paricio, Santiago Montoya, David Wightman, Simon Gudgeon, Eve Arnold, Wu Ching Ju, John Bauer , Jagannath Panda, Russell Young and Ernesto Cánovas.
We at Brit Es have been following the progress of Ernesto Cánovas for some time. His extensive body of work spans the figurative and the abstract in a career that began in London in 2009. He studied Fine Art at the Slade School of Art, and took some postgraduate courses in Edinburgh. His exhibitions in London’s prestigious Halcyon Gallery were successful both in the media and in terms of sales, making him one of the foremost Spanish creators in the United Kingdom. In 2016 Cánovas is expected to start a residency at the prestigious Art Centre Espronceda, Barcelona, as well as holding this solo show at Halcyon. Gracjana Rejmer-Cánovas, his wife, also a graduate of the Slade School of Art, reflects on her surroundings and gives them a highly subjective, colourful treatment.
Cover image: GREEN ROOM (Diptych) ©Ernesto Cánovas & Gracjana Rejemer. Mixed media and resin on panel 60 x 100cm, 2 panels 60 x 50cm, 3.4cm thick
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Ernesto Cánovas: Multiplied
16 February–13 March 2016
Halcyon Gallery, 144-146 New Bond Street, London W1S 2PF
Nearest Tube: Bond Street
Exhibition opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am–6pm, Sunday 11am–5pm
FREE Entry
More info about the exhibition: www.halcyongallery.com/exhibitions/ernesto-canovas-multiplied