Daisy Laing NEWS

DAISY LAING on tour - 2023

ACCUMULATE by Kleiner Shames is the first in a series of exhibitions we are guest curating in collaboration with our friends at That Art Gallery, Bristol, with support from Cultivator Cornwall.


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KS image for postcard

'Weightless'
painted wooden assemblage
2023


'Accumulate' by Penzance based artist Kleiner Shames opened on 9th February at That Art Gallery, the first of four shows curated by Daisy Laing.


  Born in Oxford, England in 1988, Shames began writing graffiti at the age of 14. It was here he became intrigued by lettering, shape, form and composition, with graffiti offering seemingly limitless boundaries of expression and exploration. With a move to Bristol in 2012, this interest widened, translating into screen printing, painting walls and experiments within his studio. An invaluable period in London working as a sign painter allowed a more formal expression of his affinity with graffiti and continued to expand the definitions of his work. This innate desire to explore different techniques — playing the same song with different instruments — is key to Shames’ practice, and this approach continues today. His process is an ongoing refusal to be contained in a single category, yet his evolving portfolio of work speaks to a naturally exploratory path from his early days writing graffiti.

Shames now returns to Bristol temporarily with ‘Accumulate,’ a collection of work that encompasses his portfolio and practice, showcasing paintings, screen-prints and assemblages constructed from found materials gathered over the past ten years. It is part of Shames’ continual experiment with form, shape, colour and line.

“Colour, line, shape and surface appear on the verge of reorganising themselves in Shames’ boldly abstract compositions. The artist, however, keeps these forceful ingredients in a tense equilibrium. But his audience senses that, given their chance, the elements might bolt for the edges of the panels and canvas he works on and return in an altered state, as another image. Rather than look inwards for his subject matter, Shames looks out towards the world that surrounds him and observes people interacting with their environment and the traces they leave behind. He does not feel confined to conventional places for showing or making his work. His paintings appear on gallery walls and on buildings, and even on the hull of a boat. He also makes free-standing objects and, inside or out, public or private, the setting determines how this artist wants the world to engage with him. One inspiration is music. The rhythms and tempos, tones and improvisations of many styles fascinate Shames, contributing to the kinetic spirit that fires his painter’s vision. “I listen to a lot of music. I try to listen to new stuff every time I’m in my studio working.” It has a bearing on how he paints: “I guess in my mind my paintings are complex musical fusions,” he says, “composed of a bunch of different genres and rhythms.” Equally inspirational is the fusion of skateboarding and graffiti, the subcultures that were the training ground for his visual awareness.”
Martin Holman, Art Historian

Accumulate is on display at That Art Gallery, 10-25th February.


Also, coming up later this month, we're in London too!
'There's no other way'
A group show.
Fitzrovia Gallery,
22nd February - 4th March



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‘There’s no other way’ showcases the work of 20 artists all living and working in Cornwall.

The art on display will not be what you might expect to see from a Cornish gallery, but some of the most unorthodox and innovative work by some of the most progressive and exciting talent working in Cornwall today. 

Do not miss it!


Show dates: 21/02 - 04/03.  Opening hours tbc and will be posted closer to the opening date. Also check out @daisylainggallery for updates.

Names of all the artists involved in the show will be revealed over the coming days as well as some glimpses of the work to be featured.  We don’t want to give too much away at this stage!

I can say now though that all the artists have close ties with Daisy Laing and many have exhibited in my Penzance gallery.  It goes without saying that I am a big fan of all their work, which is why I am so keen to bring it to London for lots more people to see!! Hope you can make it.



Join us Tuesday 21st February 5-8pm,  for our opening party! All are welcome xx