CAN(N)ON: Jamie Kirk & Sam Owen Hull, 14 - 29 March 2025
CAN(N)ON
Jamie Kirk & Sam Owen Hull
CAN(N)ON began with the artists observing similarities in their working methods, particularly a strong focus on the language of materials and shared themes, such as the complexities of human existence and their relationship with/disconnection from nature.
This observation prompted a two-month, process-led collaborative project in which the artists exchanged materials and part- made works in a medium sized box, without any written or spoken communication:
‘Our developing work is fired back and forth, constrained by the dimensions of a Royal Mail medium sized parcel box and an 8 weeks long time period to grow a material/ pictorial conversation’
Through the exchange, they co-created works that confronted the notion of autonomy and interrogated their traditional ways of working. The artists sought to explore the language of materials and what can be expressed through making alone.
CAN(N)ON presented both the collaborative works created during this exchange and a selection of individual works, encouraging viewers to explore the commonalities between the artists.
Sam Owen Hull’s work explores the spaces between opposing states and ideas, searching for a temporary resolution to balance the difficulty of existing within an increasingly polarised world. Her practice immerses her in the language of materials, attempting to reconstruct the expected elements of painting into a new and unexpected form.
Jamie Kirk’s paintings are abstract compositions of multiple layers, with an eclectic range of colours and expressive mark making generated from an interest in paint’s materiality. By exploring ideas conceived from introspective observations, commentaries on society and his immediate environment, the work balances abstraction and figuration in opposing quantities.
This exhibition was curated by Luca Shaw in collaboration with the artists and supported by 1853 Studios.
We will launch our Exhibition Opportunity open call every year, keep an eye on our opportunities page. Alternatively, if you’d like to enquire about exhibition space email luca@1853studios.co.uk