All That Matters Is What’s Left Behind, Ronchini Gallery, London

All That Matters Is What’s Left Behind, Ronchini Gallery, London

All That Matters Is What’s Left Behind at Ronchini Gallery brings together abstract works from a distinct group of young international artists, each of whom explore the act of “leaving their mark.” These artists – Alex Clarke, Phoebe Collings-James, Ziggy Grudzinskas, Prem Sahib, Rebecca Ward and Jens Wolf – do so in a repertoire of mediums from sculpture to hand-drawn scrawls, to painted bodily imprints and lyrical abstractions. Each of the exhibition’s heavily experimental works reveal the artistic process alongside the completed art form: the manipulation of materials is evident and a gestural style allows for imperfections which add to the physicality of the work, and actively remind the viewer of the artists’ bodily presence.

The artists draw from the UK, USA, Germany and Australia, and correlate with Ronchini’s favour for Minimalism, Spatialism, Conceptualism and Arte Povera. For the exhibition, Alex Clarke (b. 1988, Nottingham, UK) presents paintings that explore the aspiration of a person making a painting, and utilise paper to question the painterly “gesture.” Phoebe Collings-James (b. 1987) places an un-stretched canvas on the floor and paints using her whole body to explore violence, sexuality and desire; here she shows a new work using an ivory black pigment and containing her own footprints.

Ziggy Grudzinskas (b. 1982) is dedicated to investigating of materials and the perception of image; his work builds upon his background in graffiti art and for All That Matters Is What’s Left Behind he exhibits large abstract works on canvas. Meanwhile, Prem Sahib (b.1982) works primarily in sculpture, but also through installation, performance, photography and sound – his contribution is a new abstract, black “dead neon” sculpture.

Finally Rebecca Ward (b. 1984) and Jens Wolf (b. 1967) present paintings: Ward’s are subtly evocative paintings and set into motion a perceptual play of colour, texture and light, whilst Ward produces prefers an eclectic range of non-traditional materials including: bleach, spray paint, tape and dye. Between them, the works study the major abstract Modern movements on the 20th century, geometric abstraction, painterly gesture and the elements of human imperfection which can find expression in artwork.

All That Matters Is What’s Left Behind, until 8 November, Ronchini Gallery, 22 Dering Street, London, W1S 1AN.

Credits
Rebecca Ward, X(Orange and Red), 2014, courtesy of the artist and Ronchini Gallery.