Irreverence

March 2016.

Merzbau Gallery, Miami.

Frameless Gallery, London and Merzbau Gallery, Miami present Irreverence – Tom Leamon’s first solo exhibition in the United States. On offer is a collection of paintings spanning the last 5 years, works which are both thought-provoking and playful. They are experiments into the deconstruction of the human form, on both a physical and psychological level.

Rooted in mark-making, symbolism, poetry / story-telling and illustration, Leamon’s works often combine meticulous detail with raw abstract painterly gestures. The artist uses painting as a release, and in a quasi-monastic fashion, Leamon locks himself in his studio for long periods of time working and reworking the surface of the canvas. With complete freedom and an enduring willingness to explore, his impulsive, almost childlike painting techniques represent both playtime and profound meditation.

Pixelated faceted figures give a nod to Picasso’s Harlequin, crowns, poison bottles and skulls echo Basquiat’s graffiti while works like The Search for The Emerald City and Mixing the Remedy feel almost like Aztec relics, re-imagined frescoes of a bygone era.

The exhibition takes the viewer on a compelling journey into the dark depths of the human psyche, it contorts one’s senses and leaves the viewer with an overwhelming thirst to peal back one more layer of paint and discover more.