5 – 20 August 2006
For her solo exhibition at Bloc Lesley Halliwell is showing just three large drawings.
Obsessive and exuberant these large scale multi-coloured Spirograph drawings rely on a system of simple rules and boundaries. Inevitably the rules get broken, breathing new life into the overall structure.
In 20 Assorted Colour Inks, 3377 minutes (2005), biro pens are pushed to their limits. Rich, sticky ink clogs up the surface of the paper while other parts are more subtle and gentle, especially where the pens run out of ink and invisible shapes are embossed on the surface of the paper.
Tutti Frutti, 3465 Minutes (2005/6) resembles a huge lace mandala. More playful in its patterning it involves intricate pen work and a delicate layering of marks and colours reminiscence of childhood sweets and candy.
Reach (2005/6) is Halliwell’s most ambitious drawing to date and will be her final Spirograph work. “Bodies of work must come to an end at some point”, explains Halliwell, ”and physically these drawings are very difficult and painful for me to do. It is satisfying though to end with the ultimate piece – that pushes me and the process to its limit”. When completed it will be 10 metres in length, starting from a central point it literally stretches out from the centre in both directions. So far, she is 60 biros and 55 hours (3320 minutes) into the project. The work will be exhibited in progress at Bloc.
Click here for more images of this exhibition.
Back to 2006