LONDON.- Ronchini Gallery presents Hashtag Abstract, a group exhibition that brings together new works by international artists Oliver Clegg, Richard Höglund, Christopher Kuhn and Kasper Sonne. For his inaugural exhibition as a curator, London based collector Kamiar Maleki presents work exploring trends and current developments in abstract painting.
Hashtag Abstract explores the phenomenon of news traveling fast in the digital era and the impact of social media as well as the power of the individual as a critic. Addressing how trends emerge organically, Hashtag Abstract invites the viewer to interact with the works through social media in a critical and engaging way, moving beyond the barrier of mere observation and advocating the power of the image as a tool of engagement.
Los Angeles based painter Christopher Kuhn’s works combine gestural abstraction with geometrical designs. Kuhn’s recent paintings depict a multitude of techniques within a canvas referencing the changing and fast-paced art world. For his new work at the show Kuhn studies the techniques and devices that Old Masters employed, such as the 17th century Dutch painter Gerrit Dou, in creating the illusion of depth while accentuating the flatness of the picture plane. Brooklyn based, Danish artist Kasper Sonne’s works are also examples of divergent trends. His work of revolves around conceptual strategies, invoked with a certain sense of poetics, melancholia and doubt. Sonne explores how individual and cultural references influence the way we read the world around us, and how meaning is determined by the viewer's own active construction. British born, New York based Oliver Clegg uses figuration for his basis of abstraction. Deconstructed figures take on new meaning as they become abstracted. Paris based Richard Höglund’s works use language and mark making as a starting point for his works, turning linear forms into melodic abstract compositions.
Hashtag Abstract demonstrates the current diversity and range of techniques within the genre of contemporary painting. The artworks become the triggering element for a debate around the very definition of a trend and whether anything is really trending.
Kamiar Maleki (b.1978) is a London based collector and curator. With years of experience in the contemporary art world through his family's collecting and patronage background, Maleki has developed a significant interest in emerging artists. Fostering numerous young artists’ careers from an early stage, he has established himself as a trusted expert in the field. Maleki was educated in Europe and USA, having studied International Relations at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania before moving to the American University of Paris. He is a founding member of the ICA’s young patrons and is a young patron to Parasol Unit Foundation and Tate.
Oliver Clegg (b.1980, Guildford, UK) lives and works in New York. Solo exhibitions include: Berceuse, Nolan Judin, Berlin, Germany (2011); SHIFT, Uno Su Nove, Rome, Italy (2010); Arco Madrid, GalleriaUnoSuNove, Rome, Italy (2009); Nights Move, Freud Museum, London, UK (2008). Recent group exhibitions include: Nightfall, Modem Museum, Hungary (2012); Art of Chess, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK (2012); Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, UK (2012); The British Cut, Cat St Gallery, Hong Kong (2012); Point of Entry, Ana Cristea Gallery, New York, USA (2012); The Future Can Wait, Truman Brewery, London, UK (2011); I hope that we never die…so do I, Old Compton Close, London, UK (2011); Some domestic incidents, the Mac, Birmingham, UK and Prague Biennale, Czech Republic (2011); Polemically Small, Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles, USA (2011), The Art of Chess, Bendigo Art Gallery, Melbourne, Australia (2011). Oliver Clegg’s work is collected by private individuals and organizations including: David Roberts, Deutsche Bank, Fatima and Eskandar Maleki and the Zabludowicz Collection.
Richard Höglund (b.1982, New York, USA) lives and works in Paris, France. Solo exhibitions and projects include: Tête, Berlin, Germany (2012); Dimensions Variable, Miami, USA (2012); Mamco, Geneva, Switzerland (2010); Gallery Diet, Miami, USA (2009); Le Salon du Dessin Contemporain, Paris, France (2008); La Chaufferie, Strasbourg, France (2006). Group exhibitions include: Villa Iris, Santander (2013); Bob Rauschenburg Gallery, Fort Myers, USA (2013); New World School of the Arts, Miami, USA (2011); Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, USA (2010); Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, Strasbourg, France (2007); National Art Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria (2007); La Bellevilloise, Paris, France (2006); and Mumok, Vienna, Austria (2006). Höglund was awarded the Prix Jeune Création, Paris, France (2006) and has participated in several residency programs including Skaftfell, Seyðisfjorður, Iceland (2015), Cannonball, Miami, USA (2012) and Villa Bernasconi, Geneva, Switzerland (2010). Höglund studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and MIT in Boston, USA, and holds a MFA (DNSEP) obtained at the Haute école des arts du Rhin, in Strasbourg, France (2008). In 2013, Höglund was selected by Tacita Dean to participate in her workshop at the Fundación Botín in Santander.
Christopher Kuhn (b.1977, Chicago, USA) lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Solo and two-person exhibitions include: FIELD Contemporary, Vancouver, Canada (2014); Sonce Alexander Gallery, Culver City, California, USA (2014); Autonomie, Los Angeles, California, USA (2011); 1010 Gallery, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA (2008); and the Market Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA (2003). Group exhibitions include: Sonce Alexander Gallery, Culver City, California, USA (2015); Manhattan Beach Art Center, Manhattan Beach, California, USA (2014); Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, California, USA (2014, 2013); and Marin Community Foundation, Novato, California, USA (2013). In 2007, Kuhn was also an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, USA. Kuhn pursued graduate studies in painting at University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA and holds a Post-Bac Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, USA (2007) as well as a B.A. Art History from the American University of Paris, France (1999).
Kasper Sonne (b.1974, Copenhagen, Denmark) lives and works New York City. Sonne has exhibited widely at institutions and galleries internationally, including Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2012); SAPS museum, Mexico City, Mexico (2010); SALTS, Basel, Switzerland (2013); Den Frie, Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark (2011); The Hole, New York, USA (2013); and the Moving Museum, Dubai, UAE (2013). His work has been featured in magazines such as Artforum, Art In America, Modern Painters and Flash Art. Sonne holds a BA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation.
