TANGRAM
EXHIBITING AT JGM GALLERY LONDON
AN EXHIBITION OF SCULPTURES & PAINTINGS BY DOMINIC BEATTIE & OLLY FATHERS
25 OCTOBER TO 2 DECEMBER 2023
THE AESTHETIC TOOLS OF DOMINIC BEATTIE AND OLLY FATHERS ARE PATTERN, SHAPE AND COLOUR. THEIR CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES, HOWEVER, ARE ALMOST EXACT INVERSIONS OF EACH OTHER. USING AN OVERTLY ORGANIC MEDIUM - TIMBER - FATHERS METICULOUSLY ARRANGES HIS COMPOSITIONS INTO GEOMETRIC ITERATIONS. BEATTIE, ON THE OTHER HAND, USES AN ARTIFICIAL MATERIAL - ACRYLIC PAINT - TO CREATE LOOSE CONFIGURATIONS THAT MIGHT SEEM TO HAVE DEVELOPED ORGANICALLY.
IN COMBINATION, THE ARTISTS BLUR THE LINE BETWEEN SHAPE AND SHAPELESNESS AND, BY EXTENSION, ORDER AND CHAOS. IN FRONT OF THESE PAINTINGS, ONE MIGHT PONDER THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE ARE UNIFORM PRODUCTS OF THE UNIVERSE, OR INDIVIDUAL DEVIATIONS FROM ITS STRUCTURE.
FATHERS WORK IS, IN SOME SENSE, ANALOGOUS TO THE SHIP OF THESEUS, A PARADOX THAT ASKS WHETHER AN OBJECT REMAINS THE SAME IF ALL ITS ORIGINAL COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. BY EXAMPLE, FATHERS REPEATS HIS GEOMETRIC ARRANGEMENTS DOZENS OF TIMES, HOWEVER THEIR CONSTITUENTS - COLOUR AND THE GRAIN OF THE TIMBER INEVITABLY VARY. HIS GEOMETRY WILL ALWAYS RHYME BUT NEVER REPEAT ITSELF.
IF PATTERN IS THE REPETITION OF THE SAME SHAPE AT REGULAR INTERVALS, THEN ONE MIGHT STRUGGLE TO DEFINE BEATTIE'S WORK IN THESE TERMS. A RECTANGLE MAY PRECEDE ANOTHER BUT ITS DIMENSIONS FLUCTUATE BECAUSE OF THE ARTIST'S GESTURAL APPLICATION. HE DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM FOLK QUILTS AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, OBJECTS WHICH WE ARE USED TO VIEWING WITHIN METICULOUS MATRICES. BEATTIE, HOWEVER, LEADS THESE SHAPES ASTRAY AND ENCOURAGES THEM TO DEFY THEIR ALGORITHMIC ESSENCE. THIS APPROACH CULMINATES IN THE MODULAR INSTALLATION IN THE GALLERY WINDOW. THE WORK EXTENDS FROM THE CORNER LIKE AN ORGANIC GROWTH, PUSHING COLOUR, SHAPE AND PATTERN OUTWARD. THE ACRYLIC AND SPRAY PAINT USED TO RENDER ITS COMPONENTS ARE ALSO AT ODDS WITH THE TEXTILES AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS THAT INSPIRED THEM, SUFFUSING THE WORK WITH A SUBTLE DISSONANCE. THERE IS HERE AN INTRIGUING CONTRADICTION BETWEEN FORM AND CONTENT.
TANGRAM QUESTIONS THE DEFINITIONS OF CHAOS AND ORDER, AND USES PATTERN AS THE VEHICLE FOR THIS THOUGHT EXPERIMENT. JENNIFER GUERRINI MARALDI (DIRECTOR OF JGM GALLERY) SAYS THAT "IN DOMINIC AND OLLY'S WORK THERE IS A PLAYFUL SENSE OF AESTHETIC ABUNDANCE. THIS IS ART THAT NOT ONLY INVITES CONCEPTUAL DISCOURSE, BUT INSPIRES ONE TO CREATE AND PRODUCE WORK OF THEIR OWN."
WITHIN THIS THEME OF CREATIVE PRODUCTION, THE EXHIBITION TITLE, TANGRAM , TAKES ITS NAME FROM TWO-DIMENSIONAL DISSECTION PUZZLES, ORIGINATING IN CHINA DURING THE 18TH CENTURY. VALUED FOR THEIR AESTHETIC MERITS, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO CREATE MINIMALIST DESIGNS, THEREBY HEIGHTENING ONE'S UNDERSTANDING OF SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS. OFTEN MADE FROM WOOD, BOTH THE MATERIAL AND INHERENT GEOMETRY OF THE TANGRAM SPEAKS TO THE WORK OF BOTH ARTISTS.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY JENNIFER GUERRINI MARALDI 5
DOMINIC BEATTIE & OLLY FATHERS IN CONVERSATION WITH JULIUS KILLERBY
ARTWORKS
9 16
17 59
FOREWORD
BY JENNIFER GUERRINI MARALDIIt is through studio visits and the discussions that evolve from them that I get a true sense of an artist's practice, both past and present. The proximity to their aesthetic and conceptual development is, without question, one of the privileges of being Director and Curator of JGM Gallery.
In Dominic's work, I have seen the transition from his meticulous application on wood, paper and canvas toward a looser, more gestural kind of geometry. We have together shared a passion for the quilting traditions of North America where patterns dominate; sometimes with perfection and often random. These textiles are much like Dominic's new work, hovering on the border of chaos and order. His paintings for Tangram vacillate between these two states in a way that imbues them with life, as though they are, at least in my mind's eye, living and breathing.
Olly's work demonstrates a mastery both of space and geometry. Indeed, he applies these elements in tandem, using one to suggest the other. Circles suggest space and the space suggests circles. Through their subtle similarities, his works encourage us to ponder slight compositional alternatives. They are created, it would seem, to challenge our visual perception.
In both Dominic and Olly's work there is a playful sense of aesthetic abundance. This is art that not only invites conceptual discourse, but inspires one to create and produce work of their own. I am excited and proud to introduce the JGM Gallery community to this exceptional exhibition.
IN THE WEEKS PRECEDING TANGRAM JULIUS KILLERBY (JGM GALLERY'S ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR) VISITED DOMINIC BEATTIE AND OLLY FATHERS IN THEIR LONDON STUDIOS. THE VISITS WERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BOTH TO DISCUSS THEIR WORK & THE UPCOMING EXHIBITION.
Dom, where does your interest in pattern come from?
DOMINIC BEATTIE It developed out of the abstract, geometric paintings I began making and exhibiting about a decade ago. The first purely pattern based works were a series of around 200 marker pen drawings I developed in 2016. Outside of my own practice, the inspiration usually comes from textiles, folk decoration and vernacular design.
JK Would you say that your subject in Tangram is, strictly speaking, pattern? It occurs to me that if one thinks of pattern as the repetition of the same shape at regular intervals then it would be difficult to describe your work in these terms.
DB The patterns I paint are a vehicle for colour and form to interact. They are loose and improvised, but usually always follow a regular logic. What interests me is the random combinations and the clashes they create side by side. So the subject isn't really pattern. It's the good and bad surprises between the patterns.
JK Do these designs come purely from your imagination, or are they based on something?
DB All the pattern based work I make is improvised on the spot. Sometimes I may look to an earlier work for inspiration if I have a creative block but that is rare. Colours, shapes and the repetition are usually spontaneous.
JK Olly, do you often view your real-world surroundings geometrically? Your work almost reminds me of diagrams of The Golden Ratio, which are then superimposed onto landscapes and representational compositions.
OLLY FATHERS I often observe how we use the geometric shapes of buildings and other man made structures to perceive our position in a space. However, the artworks generally aren't a direct reference to actual landscapes.
JK What are you trying to express through the repetition of certain shapes and designs? Does the repetition have conceptual implications?
OF I generally use simple primary shapes because we relate to these very instinctively. Perhaps that's because this is how our relationship with shapes starts.
Their simplicity also allows for a lot of playful freedom. Although my aesthetic is often confined to a set number of these primary shapes, there's a lot of freedom in how they come together to create these compositions. To me, they speak very differently to one another.
JK Though your conceptual concerns are similar, would you both agree that your application not only differs, but is almost an exact inversion of the other?
Dom’s work, at least to me, seems to convey a deviation from the meticulous designs in Olly’s work. By extension, I feel that one conveys chaos and the other order. Or is that perhaps too reductive?
DB I think we both come from a place of formal abstraction, and we both think in terms of building a work, rather than painting it. The outcomes are very different. Olly's work is natural in material but almost industrial in its execution and final form, whereas mine is totally synthetic in material and colour, but completely from the hand in how it's made and looks. It's a funny inversion.
OF Yes, like Dom said, we come from a similar mindset but approach the making in a very different way and with a different aesthetic. Visually, there are similarities - geometric shapes, a sense of construction and repetition - but the execution is very different which is why we thought the pieces would compliment each other so well.
JK What is a Tangram and why is it the title of the exhibition?
DB It's a geometric kids puzzle and it felt an appropriate title because of the simple shape collating nature in our works and the feeling of infinite combinations.
OF We spent a long time thinking of a title for the show and had a variety of different ideas, some relating to building and construction. When we were discussing how we piece our works together, however, we both mentioned that it was like putting together a puzzle. Dom then mentioned a Tangram, which made perfect sense.
JK Dom, I notice that some of your works are divided into multiple panels. Does this reference the structure of a Tangram?
DB Not really. It's more a practicality of making large work in a London studio. Modular making is the only way that I can make things for nice big gallery walls. This necessity has fed back into the work in a way, making it more patchy, or collage like.
JK A Tangram would seem to suggest compositional parameters that you have to work within. Do you both like placing your process within certain constraints?
DB The constraints come naturally when you make this sort of work. If you go too wild it becomes unreadable.
OF Yes, I think in these works in particular I use a certain selection of shapes. I enjoy the challenge of creating different compositions within this constraint as the restriction almost makes way for more creativity.
JK I’m not exactly sure why, but in looking at both your works, I often wonder what the other potential geometric arrangements could be? It’s as though you’re both encouraging the audience to think of other potential compositions. Is this deliberate?
DB My work often has an endless feeling, like it could continue off the edge forever, or a series could grow indefinitely. Sometimes I see painting as puzzle making, and with that element of playing there is definitely an infinite combination vibe.
OF For a lot of my pieces I really like to encourage the viewer to look at the work and imagine movement and balance. For this show, there's a very obvious comparison of playing with tone and composition in the inverted pieces. The shift of colour really makes you read the arrangement in a completely different way and I love that. Even the repositioning of one element can allow the arrangements to feel different entirely.
JK What is your process, from the inception of an idea to it hanging in the gallery space?
OF For a show like this I wanted to create a series of works that all relate to one another. In this case, I knew Dom was going to have a large installation piece that was bright in colour and pattern so I wanted to create pictures that would work well in unison with this. I decided early on that I wanted to focus on a two tone palette for the works. I felt this would help the compositions to be read clearly within a space high in energy and pattern. In the making process I usually explore multiple versions of designs that would then be refined until I'm happy with a composition that, for me, feels balanced and stylistically fits with my intention. At the same time, I'm always thinking what woods would work well with the design, as the textures of the grain and natural variations in colour are really key. They can change how the design feels completely. The making process takes up a large portion of the process as the works are hand cut and with point millimetre space for error, which at times can be quite gruelling.
DB For me it's just lots of making and experimenting with materials and ideas until I generate something solid. If I like what I've made I will make more pieces in the same manner, with variations to further explore what it is. When it becomes a body of work, and if I get offered a show, I will try to imagine it in the space and add more site specific pieces if necessary.
JK I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, Olly, but I see parallels between your work and The Ship of Theseus. In that paradox, the question is asked whether a ship remains the same if all its constituents have been replaced or altered? Many of your works seem to be the same, except for the grain and colour of the timber. They seem to rhyme, but never repeat. Would you say it’s accurate to compare your conceptual concerns with The Ship of Theseus?
OF Yes, I think that's a nice parallel to relate to the work. Even if I intended to make two identical works, I feel I could never achieve this, as I'm working with a natural medium. The grain, colour and texture of the wood is always unique to the piece. There's a nice contrast to the very bold primary shapes I use in the designs which shout from afar, to the quieter subtleties of the wood grain that only really starts to sing out when you look closer or live with the piece for a long time.
JK How do you decide which colours or pieces of timber you are going to use?
OF For this show I knew I wanted the pieces to be two toned so as not to clash with the vivid colours of Dom's pieces. That was my starting point. When I choose what wood veneers I want for a piece it's always a mixture of what works chromatically and texturally.
JK Have you both reached any conceptual conclusions by putting this exhibition together?
DB I don't think it's evident in my work because visually it's very full on but working with Olly has reinforced my belief that simplicity is key. Our works are complex in some ways, like their development and fabrication, but ultimately they are visual, not conceptually driven and that is enough.
OF I've known Dom for a long time and besides liking his work, we share a lot of similar interests in art and our approach to making artworks. We both have ideas behind our practice but it's come about from years of commitment to developing as makers. This exhibition allows the work to show that.
JK How does the work in this exhibition differ from your previous work?
DB The smaller works I made for Tangram are very new. They are cut from the larger Modular Window installation. The painting was already done, so the creative element in making them was to decide upon a permanent combination of patterns and cut and paste them together. Although I have made many assemblages before, this felt different because it involved more looking than making.
OF All the pieces I made for this show are part of the same series of work and only use two different veneers for each piece. I've also been very excited to introduce sculpture into this body of work, which is the first time I've seen the works realised in 3D. This really made me view the compositions from a different angle. I found my eye gravitating toward the negative spaces in between these 3D forms, or the new surfaces created in the sides of the protruding forms.
JK Who are some of your favourite artists?
OF Some of the minimal artists from the 1960's - Ellsworth Kelly, Fred Sandback, Frank Stella - I also take a lot of inspiration from architecture and design, such as the Bauhaus, mid century design, and the Memphis design movement.
DB Patrick Caulfield's work was my portal into fine art so he will always be a main favourite. Other big influences are Paul Feeley and John Wesley. Now I look more at outsider and folk art... it surprises me more than contemporary art.
JK Dom, there seems to be a slight contradiction in your work between the subject that inspires it - quilts and stained glass windows - and the way that you paint. We are used to viewing textiles and stained glass windows within meticulous arrangements, but your paintings are distinctly gestural. What do you think the effect of this is?
DB The pattern based works are made on an invisible and imagined grid. Inside that boundary I can be loose and tight at the same time. I'm not sure of the effect it has. I hope it looks fresh and surprising.
JK For both of you, does your work, in some sense, make itself? In other words, once you’ve decided on the geometric and chromatic constraints, does the work almost self-generate? Or is there a high degree of chance and accident that effects the outcome?
DB For me both things are true. Each series of works I make is defined by a set of rules, which make it somewhat coherent. Within those rules spontaneity and improvisation always occur and give the work life. Without the rules the work would be random and incomprehensible and without the chaos it would be dead.
OF For me, the work has to be planned out precisely to ensure all the cuts and joins fit together perfectly, so there is little room for change in the making process. Sometimes things can happen which require adjustments but the necessity to overcome these issues and problem solve makes the process more interest-
(Previous page, left) Dominic Beattie, MWPS No. 9 2023, spray paint on wood, 80cm x 60cm.
Image courtesy of Daniel Browne.
(Previous page, right) Olly Fathers, Two Tone No. 7B, 2023, hand-cut wood veneer, 42cm x 32cm.
Image courtesy of Daniel Browne.
(This page) Olly Fathers, Black Bubinga I (detail), 2023, hand-cut wood veneer, 100cm x 75cm.
Image courtesy of Daniel Browne.
(Opposite page) Dominic Beattie in his South London studio, 2023.
Image courtesy of Julius Killerby.
ing for me.
JK Was it always the plan to exhibit your work alongside each other? What are the conceptual implications of showing your works together? What do they do in tandem?
DB We have shown together a few times before in group exhibitions but this is the first focused duo show. There is always a similar mindset towards making and ambition between us. Together, I think you can see a radically different approach to craft and material exploration in the same language of geometric abstraction. It's a show about parameters and opposites.
OF Like Dom said, we've known each other for a long time and shown together before. We both knew we had common interests and approaches to making and thinking about artworks so it made perfect sense to show together. I think in tandem they just champion the enjoyment of making and that's conceptually all we ever needed.
JK Olly, could you speak a bit about the two tone works arranged in a grid? What are you trying to express through that work?
OF I actually wasn't intending on making the pieces in the grid to include inverted versions of one another. However, in the making process I kept finding myself drawn to these reversed versions of the work. It changed how I viewed the piece and its companion piece completely. In previous works I've been very drawn to the off-cut shapes created by making my works. They are kind of accidental forms that explain, and show evidence of, the making process. The smaller
works displayed in a grid almost act as maquettes for larger works and only when you view them in a group do they give that sense of experimentation. There's an infinite number of combinations or possibilities when arranging the designs, so I wanted them to really feel like a snapshot in that process of shifting and moving the compositions about.
JK Dom, one of the works that intrigues me the most is the modular window installation. What is that piece about?
DB Modular Window is a patchwork painting installation. It's made up of multiple found wooden boards, each individually painted as a self contained pattern. It's an attempt to take the painting off the rectangle and make it more vast, like an environment. Each iteration of the work will be different as the number of panels grow and the site changes.
JK Perhaps to finish, I’d like to ask you both why your practice is important to you?
DB Making is my purpose. It's very freeing and I can't stop.
OF It's everything to me and a massive part of who I am so I couldn't really imagine life without my practice. I spend a lot of time in the studio on my own, which I like, and you procrastinate and think about all aspects of life. Often when I'm cutting veneers in the studio I find myself really switching off and going into an almost meditative state, which I think making with your hands really allows you to do. It's invaluable to me.
Olly Fathers, Inverted Monochrome I, 2023, hand-cut wood veneer, 180cm x 120cm
Olly Fathers, Black Bubinga I, 2023, hand-cut wood veneer, 100cm x 75cm
Olly Fathers, Two-Tone Grid Arrangement 2023, hand-cut wood veneer, 42cm x 32cm (each).
Olly Fathers, Maquette No. 1, 2023, hand-cut wood veneer on solid wooden board, 18cm x 12cm x 6.5cm
© 2023 JGM Gallery, Dominic Beattie, Olly Fathers, Justyna Kulam, Julius Killerby & Daniel Browne. All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-7392905-8-0
JGM Gallery 24 Howie Street London SW11 4AY info@jgmgallery.com
Back cover: Olly Fathers in his South London studio, 2023. Image courtesy of Justyna Kulam. Editorial design: Julius Killerby. Photography: Justyna Kulam, Julius Killerby & Daniel Browne. Artwork Photography: Daniel Browne.