Fourteenth Exhibition

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“I spent my whole youth building imaginary universes with children’s building blocks”. Said James Johnson-Perkins.

British artist James Johnson-Perkins (born Dover, 1972) has tirelessly explored the media of children toys and produced a remarkable body of work, including digitalized images, nostalgic computer graphic prints, gestural and chromatic abstractions and chart grid model.

In November 2008, EXHIBIT gallery presents 50 Robots, a major solo show of Perkins comprising of three new bodies of works that are sure to thrill. On the ground floor, Perkins will display 50 new pieces of robot sculptures and furniture. They are composed of Megablock’s 2,800 construction bricks. For the basement installation, he has created two video projections using 8-bit computer graphics that beautifully explore the binary information shaped by animated geometric shapes. Alongside the video is the third collection of work made up of a series of new paintings and megablock structures which, coincidently share the vision of Sarah Sze and Malevich, explore spatial dynamics, colour relationship and geometry.

50 Robots is a continuation of Perkins’ sculptural project developed since 2002. A close inspection on his megablock chart grid structure reveals the proximity and representation of the Swiss artist Paul Klee, especially with his work “Ancient Sound. Abstract on Black” (1925), which is characterized by “a rhythmic structure of squares and rectangles, assembled in a single musical movement in accordance with some visible law” (Grohmann, W. 1967, p.102). Additionally, his adroitly arranged megablock structures with these bright chromatic geometry has created a remarkably stunning sheet of kaleidoscopic colour that transcends his favourite 80’s music into a visible form.

Perkins’ oeuvre can be described as a nostalgia trip. His robots are in different sizes, colors and characters, which have powerful relationships between them. This new body of work concurs with the 1960’s Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans presentation. But in addition, Perkins creates the attraction and curiosity of involving the viewer to discover the peculiarities amongst individual robots, and take us on a journey that invites us to have a direct dialogue with the different aspect of the artist’s psyche.

The private view event will feature a performance by Perkins entitled ‘John Peel’. This involves the artist artfully merging himself in alliance with the robots and orchestrating his favorite 80’s records, including tracks by: The Human League, Pet Shop Boys, New Order and Bros.

13 Nov 2008 – 25 Jan 2009