LONDON.- bo.lee gallery is presenting I Saw This Coming, a solo exhibition of new works by British artist Andrew McIntosh. In this new body of work, McIntosh re-contextualises derelict buildings in South East London and the surrounding areas while drawing on his ongoing interest in the political dispute between artists and the inevitable developments of the property market.
The seemingly neglected facades depicted in this series of paintings gesture towards abandoned interiors, absent of life. Within each of the 8 works, McIntosh offers the viewer an imaginary cross-section of part of the building, inviting us to gaze voyeuristically into a room. These exposed interior spaces manifest as brightly painted, surreal environments, seemingly at odds with their mundane locale. Within, McIntosh presents the viewer with an enigmatic pairing of objects. A work of art recognisably pertaining to the modernist canon is seen alongside an initially indecipherable sculptural form. On closer inspection, the darker function of these forms is revealed; each is a torture device.
By situating these surreal interior landscapes amidst the rubble of the everyday, McIntosh prompts his audience to peer deeper into the cultural values which lie beneath the surface of the city. These spaces can be read not only as architectural, but also as psychological; the interior of the building serves to reflect the inner space of the unconscious mind. In placing torture instruments and masterpieces of the modern world in close proximity to one another, McIntosh draws on the legacy of the cultural and political warfare of the 20th century, as well as referencing universal notions of creative strife.
Andrew “Mackie” McIntosh (b. 1979, Highlands, Scotland) lives and works in London. Solo exhibitions include Where we Belong with bo.lee Gallery at Miami Pulse, 2016, We were the Coca Cola , 2016 and You were shit in the 80s , 2015 at James Freeman Gallery. Notable group shows include Here Today curated by Artwise, Art16 with bo.lee Gallery, Liverpool John Moores Prize and The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Collections include Simmons & Simmons, selected by Turner Prize judge Stuart Evans; The Ivy in London; and the family of John Moores. Prizes include National Open Art Competition and the Lynn Painters Stainers Prize.
