LYNETTE YIADOM-BOAKYE – VERSES AFTER DUSK
2015-06-22Representing the range of techniques employed by the artist, the exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery consists of recent and newly produced paintings which will sit alongside a series of ten new etchings that have been created specifically for this show.
Yiadom-Boakye’s paintings reveal many dimensions and, while never generic, invite the viewer to consider the subjects as suggestions rather than explicit narratives or portraits. As a result her paintings display an ambiguity that resonates in the open-ended and enigmatic titles such as Accompanied to the
Kindness, 2012 and Half a Dozen Dead, 2010. At the heart of Yiadom-Boakye’s work is an exploration of the ‘mechanics’ of painting. She focusses on techniques, structure and composition and by playing with the scale and gaze of her figures, she reformulates the visual language of traditional oil paintings. With her depiction of black figures, Yiadom-Boakye raises timeless questions of identity and representation in art, drawing attention to the shortcomings of art history.
Exhibition runs through to September 13th, 2015
Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London
W2 3XA
