Parafin, a new gallery in Woodstock Street, Mayfair will launch in September 2014 with an exhibition by the emerging artist Hynek Martinec. Original Haunch Of Venison directors, Ben Tufnell And Matt Watkins are joined by the founder of London’s Master Piper, Nicholas Rhodes to create this new serious London player. Parafin intends to represent a broad selection of contemporary artists from emerging names to established international figures. The upcoming exhibition programme will feature solo presentations by young London-based Czech painter Hynek Martinec, major Cuban American artist Enrique Martínez Celaya, important British artist Tim Head and the young painter and sculptor Hugo Wilson. Gallery artists also include Justin Mortimer, Katie Paterson, Hiraki Sawa, Uwe Wittwer and the estate of Nancy Holt.
Tufnell was a curator at Tate Britain 1997–2006, organising major exhibitions such as retrospectives of Michael Andrews (2000), Hamish Fulton (2002) and Bridget Riley (2003). From 2006 to 2013 Tufnell was Director of Exhibitions for Haunch of Venison, working closely with artists including Richard Long, Giuseppe Penone, James Rosenquist and Frank Stella, and coordinating the gallery’s acclaimed exhibitions programme across their sites in London, Zurich, Berlin and New York. He is widely recognised as an expert on Land art, recently co-curating the Arts Council’s travelling exhibition, Uncommon Ground: Land Art in Britain 1967–1979. Ben Tufnell comments: ‘The opening of Parafin in Woodstock Street fulfils our shared ambition to work with an outstanding group of contemporary artists. Having lived and worked in London for many years we’re greatly looking forward to playing a further part in a vibrant and increasingly international gallery community in Mayfair.’
Matt Watkins former Creative Director at Haunch of Venison from 2006-2013 as well as their Director of Communications. He began his career at Tate magazine in 1999, going on to become the publisher of Tate Etc. at its launch in 2004, before joining Haunch of Venison as Head of Publications in 2005. He is also a designer and has helped design and produce books with artists including Richard Long, Frank Stella, Wim Wenders and Giuseppe Penone.
Nicholas Rhodes directed the London gallery and publisher Master Piper From 2009-2011, whose exhibition programme focused on work by emerging international artists and curators. He was previously a sales consultant with Albion Gallery in London, working with artists including Ai Weiwei, Xu Bing, Tatsuo Miyajima, Jitish Kallat and Jaume Plensa, and has worked as an independent arts consultant in Asia and Japan.
Parafin is Located at 18 Woodstock Street, just off New Bond Street.
Hynek Martinec Every Minute You Are Closer to Death
11 September – 11 October 2014