4-19 March

A new exhibition of drawings and paintings by artist Giles Eldridge opens at BLOCspace on 4 March.

The artist has produced a number of images in different media that function as a continuous body of work. Clustered together in groups, the individual pictures become less important than the mass of work as a whole. Artistic techniques, styles and terms of reference are deliberately fragmented serving to enhance this effect, with subject matter ranging from political scenes and cultural events to artefacts, icons and copies of paintings. Detailed portraits of unknown figures, landscapes and images of aeroplanes and cars sit side by side in this diverse array.

The artist cites Roland Barthes’ book, The Pleasure of the Text, as an important starting point for the work. In it the author suggests that the Text is a Body, and describes the nature of words as being similar to that of wood, in the sense of varying in texture and density.

Similar to the way in which our brains search for links between unrelated images that appear randomly next to each other in newspapers and magazines, Eldridge’s work playfully invites the audience to form associations between his drawings and paintings, inevitably constructing their own narratives.

About the artist

Eldridge was born and studied art in Sheffield. He has produced work for Heathrow Airport and has exhibited in London and Amsterdam. He lives and works in London.

Click here for image archive of exhibition.