Discoveries

13 February – 6 April 2019 Fiumano Clase

Xusen Liu, Genesis (still), 2018
Xusen Liu, Genesis (still), 2018

Fiumano Clase is delighted to announce this year’s Discoveries exhibition will take place from 13th February – 6th April 2019 at their contemporary London gallery, 21 Wren Street, WC1. The second ever Discoveries exhibition features work by three recently graduated emerging artists scouted by gallery directors, Francesca Fiumano and Andrés Clase over the past twelve months.

German artist and recent Royal Academy Schools graduate Marianne Thoermer boldly blends traditional techniques of composition and unconventional materials. We will be exhibiting a selection of works from her “States of Affairs” series.

These semi-figurative pieces begin as monotype prints, inscribed on Perspex glass. Thoermer then blurs and distorts them, wiping and scratching away at the surface to create multiple layers. A variety of materials are applied including plaster, latex, scrim and glass wax, which means Thoermer’s works become more than just two-dimensional pictures to look at; they are three dimensional obtrusions into our space. The physicality of her works result in pieces that both attract and repel.

Marijke Keyser is an American artist, based in London and Seattle. Having recently graduated from the Slade School of art with an MFA Fine Art, Keyser is continuing to develop her practice which has its basis in her personal relationship to landscape. Keyser is a multi- disciplined artist, having experimented with stop-motion animation, live story telling performances and site-specific installations.

One of her compelling sound installations has been selected for Discoveries. Sound is particularly important to Keyser’s practice, having a sense of intimacy, with an actual physical sensation within the human body but at the same time a boundlessness, being able to travel distances through space and time. In this way, sound unites the body of the inhabitant with the openness of their surroundings.

From a young age Chinese artist Xuesen Liu has felt a connection to the visual arts and a desire to rebel against cultural expectation and pursue the unconventional. Having begun a career as a graphic designer in Beijing it soon became clear that, although this is was considered a respected profession, it was not the path for him. Following an extended pilgrimage to the yoga academy of Chiang Mai, Thailand, Liu realised that the only way in which he could be truly content was to follow his long-held passion for art.

Having recently graduated from Chelsea College of Arts with an MA in Fine Art, Liu has spent the last two years exploring the concept of the role of an artist and the process of creating works that resonate beyond the visual. Liu’s Genesis, a mixed media installation including sculpture and video, will be part of the Discoveries exhibition. A male figure wields what appears to be a long ceremonial sword and swings with force towards a Singing bowl (used as an aid for meditation). The power of the impending blow is in sharp contrast to the stillness of meditation; indeed the strength of peace and quietude overwhelms force, the bowl is not struck and the sword is defeated by calm contemplative energy.

“After exhibiting at London Art Fair from 16 – 20 January 2019, we are really looking forward to Discoveries, our first gallery exhibition of the new year. Keyser, Liu and Thoermer are three brilliant artists whose distinct practices stood out to us on our voyages around different Art Colleges over the past year. Their contrasting works will create a unique and immersive sensory experience for our visitors. Following the success of our first Discoveries exhibition in 2018, we look forward to introducing these artists and their works to existing and new collectors.” Francesca Fiumano & Andrés Clase, Directors of Fiumano Clase
 

Website: https://www.fiumanoclase.com/