Fiona Rae
29 Aug—23 Nov 2017

Fiona Rae

29 Aug—23 Nov 2017
Buchmann Lugano
Press release

 

We are delighted to present an exhibition by British painter Fiona Rae (*1963 in Hong Kong, lives in London), for the first time on show at Buchmann Lugano.

 

The paintings in this exhibition are part of the most recent group of works by Fiona Rae, begun in 2014 with a number of charcoal drawings. The initial paintings from this series consequently started out as greyscale works, completely omitting colour and concentrating solely on the calligraphic flow of the brush. The largest format is limited to a size that makes it possible for the painter to maintain control over the entire canvas from a single standpoint; she is able to cover the whole canvas with one sweep of a brush. The intense calligraphic lines radiate with the same force from the canvas as we find in the drawings. They seem spontaneous and yet at the same time placed with discipline and precision.

 

The large work Figure 2a is the first painting in the series to reintroduce colour in the foreground while keeping the backdrop in greyscale. This emphasizes the colour and creates a new concentration and dynamism in the constellation of figure and ground, surface and line. Further development of this approach can be seen in the smaller format paintings Figment 2u, Figment 3b and Figment 3c. As regards the titles for the new paintings, Rae uses a taxonomic system: Figure 1a, Figure 1b, etc. In this way she creates a distance between the painting and the title, enabling the viewer to concentrate on contemplating the pure painting. Still, Fiona Rae’s signature remains clearly recognizable in these new works, evidence of the many visual codes and tropes she has developed and made her own over the years.

 

These new paintings make clear what Fiona Rae means when she says: “I see these paintings as suggesting the presence of a figure, whilst simultaneously insisting on its absence; the paintings remain abstract. I want the urgency of paint marks and gestures made only by the hand; the need to make a mark that goes back thousands of years.”

 

Works by Fiona Rae are represented in numerous public collections, amongst them the Tate Collection UK, the Centre Pompidou Paris, the Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin, the Hirshhorn Museum Washington D.C. and the Mudam Luxembourg.

 

For more information:

Buchmann Lugano

Via della Posta no. 2, CH-6900 Lugano

From 29 August

Tuesdays to Fridays 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm

Saturdays 1.00 pm – 5.00 pm

 

Comunicato stampa

 

Abbiamo il grande piacere di presentare per la prima volta in Ticino nello spazio Buchmann Lugano la mostra della pittrice inglese Fiona Rae (*1963, Hong Kong, vive a Londra).

 

I dipinti esposti sono parte del gruppo più recente di opere di Fiona Rae, iniziato nel 2014 con vari disegni a carboncino. Nei primi dipinti di questa serie, di conseguenza, l’artista utilizza tonalità grigie non lasciando alcuno spazio al colore e si concentra esclusivamente sul tratto calligrafico della pennellata. Il formato maggiore ha una misura che consente all’artista di mantenere il controllo su tutta la tela stando in un punto fisso, dandole così la possibilità di percorrere con un solo gesto l’intera superficie pittorica. Gli intensi tratti calligrafici si sprigionano dalla tela con la stessa forza che troviamo nei disegni. Le linee paiono spontanee e al contempo dipinte con disciplina e precisione.

 

Il grande dipinto Figure 2a è il primo della serie a reintrodurre il colore in primo piano, mantenendo sempre uno sfondo in scala di grigi. Questo permette di dare maggior rilievo al colore e creare nuova concentrazione e dinamismo nel rapporto tra figura e sfondo, superficie e tratto. Un ulteriore sviluppo di questo approccio lo troviamo nei dipinti dal formato più piccolo, Figment 2u, Figment 3b e Figment 3c. Per quanto riguarda i titoli degli ultimi dipinti, l’artista ricorre a un sistema di ordinamento numerico sistematico: Figure 1a, Figure 1b, ecc. In questo modo crea una distanza tra l’opera e il titolo, permettendo allo spettatore di concentrarsi sulla contemplazione della pura pittura. Nonostante questo, la firma di Fiona Rae rimane chiaramente riconoscibile nei nuovi lavori, testimonianza dei numerosi codici visivi che la pittrice ha sviluppato e fatto propri nel corso degli anni.

 

I nuovi dipinti illustrano bene ciò che intende Fiona Rae quando afferma: “Questi dipinti suggeriscono la presenza di una figura e contemporaneamente ne sottolineano l’assenza, rimanendo astratti. Io ricerco l’insistenza del movimento e delle tracce di pittura che solo la mano crea, la necessità di lasciare un segno che risale a migliaia di anni fa”.

 

Le opere di Fiona Rae sono presenti in numerose collezioni pubbliche, tra cui la Tate Collection, Regno Unito, il Centre Pompidou, Parigi, l’Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlino, l’Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C. e il Mudam, Lussemburgo.

 

Per maggiori informazioni:

Buchmann Lugano

Via della Posta 2, CH-6900 Lugano

Dal 29 agosto

Da martedì a venerdì 13.00 – 18.00

Sabato 13.00 – 17.00

Fiona Rae

Born 1963 in Hong Kong. Lives and works in London.

Education
1983-84 Croydon College of Art, London, UK
1984-87 Goldsmiths College, London, UK
Grants and Awards
2018 Royal Mail Stamp Design Commission for the 250th anniversary of Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
2017 Curator of Invited Room, The 249th Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
2015 Honorary Fellow of Goldsmiths, London, UK
2011-15 Professor of Painting for the Royal Academy Schools, London, UK
2011-13 Tate Members’ Artist Commission, London, UK
2010 Curator of Invited Room, The 242nd Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
2007 Shortlisted for the Charles Wollaston Award, The 239th Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
2005-09 Appointed Tate Artist Trustee, London, UK
2005 Master Artist in Residence at Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA
2003 BBC Art Site Installations Commissions, BBC Broadcasting House Public Art Program, London, UK
2002-05 Tate Modern Restaurant Commission, London, UK
2002

Elected to Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK

1993

Shortlisted for the Eliette von Karajan Prize for Young Painters, Austria

1991 Shortlisted for the Turner Prize, Tate Britain, London, UK

Solo Exhibitions

2022
2021
2020
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2009
2008
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990

Group Exhibitions

2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
Selected Collections

Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, USA
Arts Council England, UK
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK
British Council, UK
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
Carré d’Art - Musée d’Art Contemporain, Nîmes, France
Contemporary Art Society, London, UK
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA
Essl Museum - Kunst der Gegenwart, Klosterneuburg, Austria
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France  
Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain d’Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain d'Île-de-France, France
Fundación Barrié, A Coruña, Spain
Fundació “la Caixa”, Barcelona, Spain
Government Art Collection, UK
Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA
Jerwood Collection, London, UK
Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds, UK
Mudam Luxembourg - Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg
Musée Départemental de Rochechouart, Haute-Vienne, France
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, UK
Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
Sintra Museum of Modern Art, Portugal
Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton, UK
Tate Collection, UK
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
Warwick University Art Collection, UK