Upcoming exhibition
Hurvin Anderson: Salon Paintings
04. May – 13. October 2024
In cooperation with
Kistefos is delighted to announce the first solo exhibition in Norway of paintings and drawings by acclaimed British artist Hurvin Anderson. The exhibition focuses on Anderson’s celebrated Barbershop series as a lens through which to understand Anderson’s wider practice and unique sense of history, memory and place.
Hurvin Anderson, Afrosheen, 2009. © Hurvin Anderson. Courtesy of the artist, Christen Sveaas’ Art Collection and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Thierry Bal.
Hurvin Anderson is a British painter of Jamaican descent, born to parents of the Windrush generation who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean from the late 1940s to the mid1960s. Anderson was educated at Wimbledon School of Art, and The Royal College of Art, London, and accolades include a nomination for the Turner Prize in 2017. Within his paintings Anderson explores the intersections of place, identity, community, and culture. With depictions of human landscapes bearing the traces of his origins, his works navigate states of mind reflective of intertwined histories, and the complexities of cross-culturalism.
Hurvin Anderson: Salon Paintings is part of a European tour in collaboration with The Hepworth Wakefield and Hastings Contemporary in the UK, where the exhibition has garnered 5-star reviews from The Telegraph and Guardian newspapers:
'The Hepworth Wakefield’s show of Anderson’s thoughtful, sophisticated works confirms him as one of Britain’s finest living painters' ★★★★★
Telegraph
'The opportunity to see the evolution of Anderson’s exploration of the barbershop setting in one space is exceptional' ★★★★★
Guardian
Hurvin Anderson first painted a Birmingham-based barbershop in 2006. For more than 15 years, Anderson has repeatedly returned to the barbershop to experiment with key concerns in modern and contemporary painting, such as the tension between abstraction and figuration, and the painterly possibilities of capturing memories and experiences. By deconstructing and recreating the scene with objects derived from photographic documentation, Anderson explores the resonance of an image, raising questions about seeing, history, authenticity, and the nature of diasporic experience.
Anderson’s studio drawings and related sketches are interspersed throughout the exhibition, revealing the subject matter of the barbershop as one that has sustained his approach to experimentation over the past 15 years. The exhibition will display the most comprehensive presentation of the Barbershop series, from the very first work made in 2006 to the latest paintings, Skiffle, 2023 and Shear Cut, 2023, which culminate the series.
The exhibition includes works from the Christen Sveaas Art Foundation and Private Collection, as well as some of the most political works within this series: Is it OK to be Black?, 2015, was a 70th Anniversary Commission for the British Arts Council Collection with New Art Exchange, Nottingham and Thomas Dane Gallery, London. This work includes depictions of significant figures in the Civil Rights movement, such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, whose ideas and legacy remain important in today’s society. The title responds to a misheard interpretation of the typical barbershop question ‘Is it OK at the back?’ and highlights the underlying social context of the barbershop as a space for the black community.
About the exhibition, Hurvin Anderson said: ‘I am looking forward to showing the final works in the Barbershop series as part of this exhibition. The Barbershop is a subject that I have returned to throughout my career, as a site that was a point of connection to Caribbean culture. In repeating the image, deconstructing it and putting it back together again, the series has also become a meditative exploration of painting itself.’ Hurvin Anderson is one of the most captivating painters working in Britain today. His works manage to be both visually beautiful and poetically poignant, capturing moments of experience and asking questions about memory and identity through his unique process of image-making.
ABOUT THE HEPWORTH WAKEFIELD
Designed by the acclaimed David Chipperfield Architects, The Hepworth Wakefield is set within Wakefield’s historic waterfront, overlooking the River Calder and The Hepworth Wakefield Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. Named after Barbara Hepworth, one of the most important artists of the 20th century who was born and brought up in Wakefield, the gallery presents major exhibitions of the best international modern and contemporary art. It is also home to Wakefield’s growing art collection – an inspiring resource comprising outstanding works of Modern British and contemporary art. The gallery runs engaging programmes for schools, families and local community groups to provide inspiring creative learning opportunities and a vibrant workshop, talks and events programme, including regular art fairs and markets.
ABOUT HASTINGS CONTEMPORARY
Hastings Contemporary champions modern and contemporary art. An ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions showcases work by important Modern British artists, internationally celebrated artists and emerging practitioners, often in Kunsthalle-style displays throughout the building. The gallery has developed a reputation for its focus on painting. Innovative programming, partnerships and collaborations support a commitment to outreach, learning and participation. The award-winning building is located on the town’s historic fishing beach, among the net huts and working structures of the fishing fleet