The Perfect Nude, Thursday 29th March to Saturday 12th May 2012
Preview: Wed 28 Mar 2012, 6-7.30pm
Over 100 nudes at Exeter Phoenix
Artists Dan Coombs and Phillip Allen have followed their successful 2011 group show of small paintings “The Perfect Crime”, by inviting over a hundred artists to make paintings responding to the theme of “The Perfect Nude”. An aesthetic experiment, the show presents a comprehensive range of responses to the subject; its aim, to create a rich network of images that will establish a context for representation of the body in contemporary painting. In part, the curators’ interest lies in the idea of imposing a subject onto the participating artists, to see what happens when the artist no longer bears responsibility for choosing the subject. Many of the invited artists usually work in abstract or non-representational ways, and the sheer breadth of response results in an eclectic, fascinating and surprising exhibition.
The exhibition aims to break down barriers between genres and seeks to explore a genre that has perhaps been neglected in recent contemporary art. It asks too, whether this implicitly psychological genre, which taps directly into the artistic psyche, is ripe for a contemporary reawakening.
DAN COOMBS (born 1971) is represented by The Fine Art Society, London. Recent solo shows include Heaven and Earth, Fine Art Society, London (2011) and The Dreamers, FRED, London (2009). Recent group shows include Disputatio, Gooden Gallery, London (2011); The Beard, Charlie Smith London (2011); What Have I Done (with Tim Stoner and Neal Tait), Fine Art Society, London (2010); Collage, FRED Gallery (2009). Dan Coombs is associate editor of Turps Banana magazine and Visiting Lecturer in Painting at Wimbledon College of Art.
PHILLIP ALLEN (born 1967) is represented by The Approach, London. Recent solo shows include Capital P, The Approach, London (2011); …the urgent hang around, Bernier/Eliades Gallery, Athens (2010); Kerlin Gallery, Dublin (2009); Sloppy Cuts No Ice, The Approach W1, London (2008). Recent group exhibitions include Fabio Tiboni arte Contemporanea, Bologna, Italy (2010); Kaleidoscopic Revolver, The Total Museum, Seoul, Korea; Hanjiyun Contemporary Space, Beijing, China (2009); Pattern Recognition, The City Gallery, Leicester, UK; M25 Around London, curated by Barry Schwabsky, Centro Cultural Andratx, Mallorca, Spain. He lives and works in London.
THE PERFECT NUDE invited artists include: Jeremy Akerman, Phillip Allen, Tim Allen, Linda Aloysius, Uliana Apatina, Kay Bainbridge, Aglae Bassens, Marianne Basualdo, Bartholomew Beale, Kiera Bennett, Simon Betts, Rachel Blackwell, Elaine Brown, Greig Burgoyne, Stephen Chambers, Jake Clark, Richard Clegg, Daniel Coombs, Ian Dawson, Jeff Dellow, Jeff Dennis, Nelson Diplexcito, John Dougall, Sarah Douglas, Geraint Evans, Mark Fairnington, Stephen Farthing, Georgie Flood, Rebecca Foster, Matt Galpin, Alex Gene Morrison, Ana Genoves, William Gharraie, Adam Gillam, Andrew Graves, Jonny Green, Bardley Grievson, Marilyn Hallam, Alexis Harding, Andy Harper, Dereck Harris, Vincent Hawkins, Aly Helyer, Celia Hempton, Sam Herbert, Tom House, Paul Housley, Vanessa Jackson, Will Jarvis, Chantal Joffe, Pete Jones, Mark Jones, Michael Kirkbride, Hannah Knox, Chris Koning, Peter Lamb, Darius Lambert, Mindy Lee, Dave Leeson, Steve Lewis, Cathy Lomax, Paula Macarthur, Alastair Mackinven, Lee Maelzer, Bob Matthews, Johnathan McLeod, Damien Meade, Gina Medcalf, Hugh Mendes, Mali Morris, Alex Gene Morrison, Darren Murray, Ishbel Myerscough, Iain Nicholls, Joe Packer, Rebecca Partridge, Katie Pratt, David Rayson, Barry Reigate, Geoff Ridgen, Keith Roberts, Howard Rogers, Danny Rolph, Greg Rook, Robert Rush, Alli Sharma, Dominic Shepherd, Benet Spencer, Ruth Stage, Andrew Stahl, Tim Stoner, John Strutton, Emma Talbot, Diana Taylor, Joel Tomlin, Katherine Tulloh, Covadonga Valdes, Alex Veness, Roxy Walsh, John Walter, David Webb, Rob Welch, Laura White, Freya Write, Sam Windett, Mark Wright, Vicky Wright.
Listings information
29 Mar – 12 May 2012
Phoenix Gallery is open Mon – Sat 10am –5pm. Entry is FREE
Curators’ talk: Sat 21 Apr, 2.30pm, FREE
The curators will discuss the exhibition and its wider implications.
Eye Opener discussion: Wed 4 Apr, 1.30pm, FREE
An opportunity to join in with an informal discussion about the exhibition in the gallery.
Exeter Phoenix, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS
Box Office: 01392 667 080