PAINTINGS and DRAWINGS
The monumental contemporary paintings of Gordon Picken portray a landscape of absence; of lost histories and memories. This is a landscape in which the human figure is implied and yet absent. Not only does the figure appear to be absented from these works but also the spectators` reading of these paintings is continually disrupted by the process of the works construction. These large scale works are constructed from numerous small scale works with each fragment marking a new beginning, a moment in time. The large scale of these works is not merely an aesthetic affectation but reflects upon the spirit of these locations which were once landscapes of monumental industrial production. Informing all of the work is the artist's belief in the sense of dislocation and loss that people feel when they perceive changes to their local environment.
'Solastalgia' exhibition
