Collected

First exhibited at Frestonian Gallery, London, in 2020, the works in this series are inspired by the ramshackle stalls of flea markets in London, Paris and Berlin, and speak to a longstanding interest in the twin poles of excess and sparsity. Like the junkshops pictured in earlier works, or the ornate scenes of transitory spaces in Venice, the paintings in Collected picture the overflowing displays of flea market stalls, where the profusion of objects underscores the absence of people usually found sifting through them. Similarly to the Chamber pieces, the works in Collected are concerned with ephemera and ephemerality. Their subjects are temporary structures made from polythene awnings and improvised stands – a shifting landscape where objects are routinely picked up and put down, or purchased and repurposed.