Peter Davis, Elemental
Paul Bloomer, Today
Niela Nell Kalra, Borderlines
Bonhoga Gallery, 30 July – 11 September
Preview: 29 July, 6-7.30pm
Three new exhibitions at Bonhoga by local artists explore borders, horizons and techniques in new and innovative ways from this Saturday 30th July. The preview on Friday 29th from 6-7.30pm is open to all.
Elemental by Peter Davis in the main gallery is a response to Iceland through the development of new techniques of watercolour. It is a stunning new body of work from this popular local artist - large and expressive works with a crisp clarity of tone and icy transparency that evokes the landscape which has inspired it. Using ice, frozen paint, salt, airbrush, scrubbing brushes and other experimental techniques Peter has stripped back his work to create pure and exquisitely beautiful paintings.
He explains, “I am fascinated by the tension between representation and abstraction, and the ambiguity of scale and image within this subject matter. The effects of watercolour can mirror the effects found in the environment. Angle of paper, quality and quantity of water and pigment, size of brush, drying time and temperature are all variables that affect the final outcome”.
In stark contrast to this is a work by Paul Bloomer in the Lower Gallery. Today is a collage of about 90 small ink drawings, just a proportion of the hundreds of drawings Paul has been creating as part of an on-going personal project to produce two drawings per day, one based on his immediate surroundings in Shetland and the other sourced from world events via the internet. Much of the work reflects the crisis in Syria.
In the Craft Cabinet, Borderlines by textile artist Niela Nell Kalra explores the meaning and use of line. The ideas for her latest knitwear collection work come both the Shetland landscape that is her adopted home and her heritage - notably the Partition of India in 1947 resulting in the separation of her Indian father’s family from their own homeland.
Jane Matthews, Exhibition Manager for Shetland Arts explains, “All three exhibitions are imbued with a sense of place and time and reflect the rich and diverse energy within Shetland’s Contemporary Art scene at the moment. We are delighted to be showcasing such local talent”.
