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Vivien Blackett

Peaks branching

27 February - 29 March 2025

Thursday, Friday 11 - 5. Saturday 11 - 4

Ken artspace is delighted to announce a solo exhibition of works by
Vivien Blackett

Opening reception with the artist present
Saturday 1st March 11 – 4

In her paintings Vivien Blackett explores the seen and unseen, questioning the nature of appearance and our experience of the world through her depictions of ‘landscape’.

Her current cast of ‘characters’ exist in a place between the perimeters of abstraction and figuration, human and animal, landscape and the body. Brightly patterned rocky peaks jostle for our attention in front of dappled pools and swirling streams. Succulent-like branching forms rise up to claim their place. There is a gentle humour too as peaks develop legs that animate the scenery. Blackett draws inspiration from Early Renaissance painting, medieval manuscripts and natural patterns from disparate sources including histology, cytology and geology.

Her drawings are an important and playful part of her research for the paintings and provide an opportunity to experiment with colour, connections, scale, illusion and meaning. One is reminded of paper theatre sets where individual cut-out elements can be swapped and interchanged in a compressed pictorial space.

Porous peak, pink branching 2024 Oil on board 22.5 x 28 cm

Branching thing, river valley. 2024/25 Oil on canvas 45 x 55.5 cm

Spiky peak, ripple valley. 2024/25 Oil on canvas 45 x 55.5 cm

About the artist:

Vivien Blackett has worked as an artist for over 40 years since leaving Goldsmiths in 1979. She has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad and has works in numerous collections including the British Council, Peterborough and Birmingham City Art Galleries and Cambridge University. She has carried out a number of residencies, including The National Gallery in 1985/6 and Camden Arts Centre, 1992 and her commissions include London Hospital, Colchester Hospital and Birmingham Library. She also worked as a visiting lecturer at art colleges across England from 1986 and her gallery education work, over many years, includes Whitechapel Art Gallery and Camden Arts Centre.

Artist website

Ken artspace is a small new art space in the heart of Kennington.

Run by artists and founders Rob Kesseler and Agalis Manessi is

dedicated to a mix of occasional exhibitions, window installations

and pop-up events.

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Vivien Blackett

Peaks branching

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