“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself”
– Carl Sagan
Water, 2024
From August 20, British painter Chris Rivers will present a new exhibition titled Universal, featuring a collection of sixteen paintings. Four of these works represent the elements—earth, fire, water, and air—while the remaining twelve depict the zodiac signs. Each painting serves as Rivers’ personal interpretation of the cosmos, characterized by a swirling array of vivid colors, fluid gestures, and richly textured paint.
Aries, 2024
Rivers is a masterful manipulator of his medium, reveling in the tactile qualities of oil paint. He skillfully applies it in sweeping motions, creating dynamic contrasts between thick, opaque layers and glossy, translucent glazes. The textured surfaces, with their layers of caked impasto, captivate the viewer, offering illusions of depth and space. His palette is a vibrant explosion of cerulean blues, cool violets, deep madder reds, and soft crimsons. Additionally, Rivers has introduced the use of metal leaf—copper, silver, gold, and platinum—into his work, embedding it in the background or scattering it across the canvas to evoke a celestial landscape.
The zodiac has long been a theme in medieval and early Renaissance art, reflecting a fascination with the occult and the desire to impose order on the elemental chaos. Rivers draws on this tradition, using the structured narrative of the zodiac to counterbalance the overwhelming vastness and apparent disorder of the cosmos.
Through this mesmerizing series, Rivers captures the essence of the constellations and their fundamental components. His creative process dissects, reassembles, and transforms, conveying his signature themes of transformation and transcendence with every brushstroke.
Leo, 2024
The exhibition runs from 20 August to 21 September at London’s Pontone Gallery.
Header, L-R: Sagittarius, Libra, Pisces.
