The Walker Art Gallery launches its 2010 exhibition program with a fresh look at the powerful work of international artist Aubrey Williams (1926 – 1990).
“Aubrey Williams: Atlantic Fire” seeks a new appraisal on the important works of the Guyanese-born artist. The exhibition comprises of 14 paintings that demonstrate the strength of Williams’ work and the coherence and consistency of his approach to painting.
The exhibition has been produced in partnership with the October Gallery, London and runs parallel with their exhibition, “Aubrey Williams: Now and Coming Time” from 4 February to 3 April 2010.
Williams’ global outlook and his readiness to question an assumed dichotomy of figurative and abstract art put him ahead of his time. Often featuring fragmented objects, intense natural colours, hints at musical counterpoint and dramatic spatial effects, Williams’ art resists definition.
There were a range of influences on his work such as the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (Williams worked on his acclaimed Shostakovich series for over a decade); abstract expressionists such as Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky, and most importantly, the ancient indigenous cultures of Central and South America.
A defining part of Williams’ work, his interest in these cultures enabled him to assert an authentic Caribbean identity within a modern mainstream art world. As he put it:
“The act of painting, the act of daring to make art, the Arawak had a word for it and they called it Timehri… Now, Timehri to the Arawak means the mark of the hand of man...That is the word for art for me.”
“Aubrey Williams: Atlantic Fire” is the Walker Art Gallery’s contribution to Liverpool and the “Black Atlantic,” a city-wide season of exhibitions and events. The title of the season is taken from Paul Gilroy’s seminal book “The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness” (1993), which describes black identity in Europe and America as an ongoing process of travel and exchange, and rails against nationalist cultural histories.
As an individual Williams’ life and interests spanned the Black Atlantic and its universal themes, ideas and ideals. He was an early member of the Caribbean Artists Movement (1966-1972), concerned with forging independent cultural identities for new nations and for black British people.
“Aubrey Williams: Atlantic Fire” highlights the work of an artist who ignored definitions, even when this resulted in his work being misunderstood by art critics looking for pure abstract painting from a strongly European and American standpoint. The exhibition selection contributes to a reassessment of Williams as an important international artist who transcends the expectations of a nationalist, even chauvinist, art world.
Want to see what 24 hours of creative awesomeness look like? Click here.
This news message is supported by The Creative Finder, an online platform for photographers, illustrators, designers, and art directors to promote their portfolios towards new clients and collaborators. Creatives who wish to sign up for an account can save 10% off annual fees with promo code 'designtaxi'.
