London born artist and curator Simon Tarrant launches his latest solo exhibition #isthisnow? at gallery@oxo from 30 October – 10 November 2019.
Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult – Hippocrates (460-400 B.C.)
Showcasing a new collection of monoprints, paintings and drawings, Tarrant’s colourful artwork explores the celestial micro and macrocosms of our world. Depicting nature through deep-sea views, luminous landscapes and interstellar imagery – Tarrant takes his inspiration from space, time and matter – illustrating that everything is one and that the universe connects all.
Opening on the eve of a supposed new political dawn, the theme of the exhibition, #isthisnow? reflects upon a time of uncertainty. Tarrant says,” living and working as an artist is a precarious way of life, with bursts of intense creativity tempered by repeated cycles of vacillating. Continually pondering the timing and relevance of your work, feels unnervingly like a microcosm of the volatile and challenging society we live in, be it politically or as human beings coming to terms with our endangered ecology.”
Tarrant, who has carved out an artistic career from pop-up exhibitions in unusual places, says the show was organised in less than a fortnight. He explains, “I was offered a short notice slot to exhibit at gallery@oxo and jumped at the chance. I love spontaneity and living in the moment – as borne out by my impulsive, artistic process – painting fast but focused, while trusting my creative instinct.”
The serendipitous setting for Tarrant’s gallery@oxo exhibition is on point. Founded by Coin Street Community Builders, a social enterprise with a reputation for creating inspirational neighbourhoods, gallery@oxo is situated on the South Bank. Its gleaming gallery windows mirroring mighty ‘Father Thames’, ever-flowing through the heart of London’s physical landscape, and past Parliament’s perpetual prevarications.
For an artist celebrating nature’s fragile beauty, the timing and space is perfect. As Tarrant says, “that such an unexpected and unique window should open for me during this period of disquiet, makes me feel optimistic and hopeful about life – and that with positivity anything is possible.”
Simon Tarrant is a self-taught artist and independent curator and has gained a reputation for curating critically acclaimed pop-up exhibitions in unique and unusual spaces. Showcasing both new and established artists, Simon draws upon his marketing and advertising background to promote a variety of charitable causes that support young people and the arts, as well as the LGBT+ arts community.
Simon Tarrant #isthisnow? gallery@oxo Oxo Tower Wharf Bargehouse Street South Bank, London SE1 9PH – 30 October – 10 November