Hugh Mendes' Website

statement & c.v.

Statement

My original training and practice was in life painting.
It was my father's death in '98 that triggered my interest in still life and resulted in a return to Europe after seven years in the USA.

I returned to art school and completed an MA in 2001.

It has been said that the objects in still life reflect the customs, ideas and aspirations of the time. They also perhaps reflect religious and philosophical ideas and deal directly with death. Still life involves the juxtaposition of ordinary objects in a spatial field,evoking human presence but actually depicting human absence.

My own particular approach is to use apparently simple arrangements of objects such as eggs, shoes or newspaper clippings, on a plinth, on a shelf or on a wall.

The use of newspaper clippings provides a very flat spatial field, recalls certain trompe l'oile 17th century still life and deals directly with contemporary issues. The act of painting and therefore sustained concentration brings a degree of focus and depth to what otherwise would be fleeting moments in the press.

C.V.

EDUCATION
2000 - 2001 MA Painting, City and Guilds of London Art School
1975 - 1978 BA Painting, Chelsea School of Art

SELECTED SOLO SHOWS
2009 Gallerie Braubach5, Frankfurt
2009 Loading Bay Gallery, London
2008 Fishmarket Gallery, Northampton
2007 Sartorial Art, London
2004 Sartorial Art, London
2003 Three Colts Gallery, London
2001 The Foundry, London

SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2009 The Future or Ruin, Charlie Smith London
2008 New London School, Gallerie Schuster, Berlin
Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles
2006 'NLK', Wooster Projects, New York
2006 'Beyong the Grave', Sartorial Art, London
2006 'Jerusalem', Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax
2005 'Fuckin' Brilliant',Tokyo Wonder Site, Tokyo
2005 'Art News', Raid Projects, Los Angeles
2005 Keith Talent Gallery, London
2005 'USUK',Lab Gallery, New York
2005 'Green Door',Sartorial Art, London
2004 'Forest', Rockwell Gallery, London
2004 Three Colts Gallery, London
2004 Plus One Plus Two Gallery, London
2003 'Chockafukingblocked', Jeffery Charles Gallery, London
2002 'Yesteryearnowadays', Hales Gallery, London

CURATED SHOWS
2007	Still Life, Still, T1+2 Gallery, London Andy Bannister, Michael Buhler, Tony Carter, Teresita Dennis, Andrew Grassie, James Jessop, Reece Jones, Jane Langley, Robin Mason, Hugh Mendes, Alex Gene Morrison, Gavin Nolan, Kate Palmer, Rosie Snell, Amikam Toren
2006	St. Anselm's Church, Kennington Requiem Franco B, Tony Carter, Gordon Cheung, Oliver Clegg, Brian Griffiths, Anne Hardy, Dan Hays, Michael Landy, Alastair Mackie, Robin Mason, Hugh Mendes, Lisa Milroy, Boo Ritson, Amikam Toren.
2005	Hackney Empire: Heaven & Earth Kiera Bennett, Chris Davies, Barnaby Hosking, Reece Jones, Hugh Mendes, Alex Morrison, Gavin Nolan, Richard Wathen, Isabel Young
2005	Raid Projects, LA &
2004	Three Colts Gallery, London Art News - contemporary artists working with newspaper: Martin Creed, Amikam Toren, Gordon Cheung, Louise Hopkins, Hugh Mendes, Kim Rugg, Alex Hamilton, Chris Cook, Melanie Jackson, Eva Weinmayr, Gillian Wearing

AWARD
2003 Fresh Art Artist of the Year

TEACHING
2005 - Tate Modern, London
2002 - to date City and Guilds of London Art School

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