Zander Blom
Monochrome Paintings
This slim catalogue accompanies Zander Blom's exhibition Monochrome Paintings at Stevenson Johannesburg. Images of the works and studio views are accompanied by the artist's text, which begins:
A tide of calm has washed over the studio. This was no doubt brought on by a return to abstraction and a drastic reduction to my colour palette. In the last year the studio has transformed from a cacophony of anxious colours and textures to a more focused, harmonious unity. I was in a fever dream of monstrous portraits, creepy figures and ridiculous creatures populating a light-hearted yet menacing world. I was knee-deep in that feral swamp, and very attached to the intellectual project (see The Garage-ism Manifesto), when a shift occurred in the studio. A new possibility had opened up because of a compelling technique that emerged. It was begging to be fleshed out and developed further but necessitated a complete shift in direction. Initially I kicked and screamed against it, but in the end the temptation was too great and the objections too hackneyed. Now gentle gradients, confident shapes, intricate details and ecstatic yet violent brushwork abound in waves of monochrome.
Published by Stevenson | February 2022
Softcover, 36 pages | Unavailable
