LONDON.- 43 Inverness Street is presenting TANk, a solo exhibition of work by Chantelle Stephenson.

The untitled art works in TANk are referred to by the artist as ‘painted objects’; they act as sculptures and contain a tactility that make them stand in their own space. They may appear minimal and delicate in their colour palette and materials used, but they contain an undercurrent of discipline and strength. Colour is stripped down to the essentials of black and white in order to reveal the depths, tones and textures that a single colour can contain. The careful composition of the tones and textures of black and white focuses the eye on the controlled movement of the artistic hand and the physicality of the materials that the paint rests on – linen, silk, wood, and steel.

In the untitled works of her Tank Series (2012), the paintings on wood are hung above eye level allowing the viewer to feel submerged in the undulating rhythm of matte and glossy surfaces, created by the layered and mixed variety of oil paint and ink with the industrial paint of emulsion and shellac. Part of the same series, a painted work on linen sits folded on a plinth.

On the ground floor, a painted diptych of ungalvanised steel leans heavily against the wall. Although tremendous in weight and size, the work reveals the vulnerability of the tough material as it continues to easily rust through its exposure to air and moisture, changing over time.

A folder contains silkscreened works on different pieces of silk such as chiffon, organza, satin and georgette. Alluding to fashion and clothing samples, the viewer is invited to flip through the pieces, uncovering the looseness of the material and the fluidity of the layers and folds that change as the pieces are handled.

Chantelle Stephenson received a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from The Cambridge School of Art. Exhibitions include Gaeltacht and Lost Landscapes at Letchworth Arts Centre in Letchworth (2009 and 2010), Endless Provocation at The Michael Brown Gallery in Hitchin, Hertfordshire (2011), Open Ended, at Open Ealing in Ealing, London (2012), and Matter at The Harbour Exchange in Docklands, London (2012). She was also an artist-in-resident at the Departure Foundation at the Thames Tower in Hammersmith, London from 2011-2014.