Ian Davenport
"Davenport's paintings {are} bold and vibrant. Rather than using a brush to apply the paint, Davenport has perfected a technique whereby household paint (usually gloss but sometimes matt) is poured onto an angled surface to create curved planes of intense colour. The repetition of forms creates a sense of rhythm and a strong physical presence. The juxtaposition of artificial colours and the realisation that the surfaces are not as perfect as they at first appear produces an ambiguous meaning. The production of these paintings relies on split-second timing and an element of human chance." - Tate Modern
Born in 1966, internationally renowned abstract painter Ian Davenport studied at Goldsmiths College, studying alongside notable peers such as Damien Hirst, Michael Landy, Gary Hume, and Sarah Lucas. He graduated in 1988, and that same year was included in Hirst's seminal Freeze exhibition-the first gathering of the loose group that would become known as the Young British Artists.
Much of Davenport's work is made by pouring or dripping paint down an angled surface, as in the 'Days Like These' exhibition at Tate Britain in 2003, where Davenport created a mural by dripping lines of coloured paint vertically down a wall using a syringe. Other work features paint poured on a flat surface, relying on the effects of gravity and weight to move colour into abstract compositions.
In 1991, Davenport was nominated for the Turner Prize & in 2002 his work was exhibited in Irish Museum of Modern Art. He now lives and works in London.
Davenports most recent exhibitions include;
-Colour Explosion, Haas & Gschwandtner, Salzburg (2021)
-Chromatic, Cristea Roberts, London & NEW WORK
-Ian Davenport, Waddington Custot, online exhibition
-Sequence, Kasmin Gallery, New York (2020).
