“A painting is a kind of space where you can stay. Somewhere you can go, similar to a piece of music… Paintings take away the weight of words. I enjoy the silence of paintings. I want them to be open…”
A solo exhibition featuring new works by Lorna Robertson (b. 1967, lives and works in Glasgow) will open at Alison Jacques gallery. It marks Robertson’s first solo exhibition in London, showcasing recent paintings crafted with a mix of oil paint, watercolour, collage, and linseed oil on both canvas and paper. Her pieces oscillate between abstraction and figuration, which she describes as “a tangled game of hide-and-seek that plays with the visibility and readability of an image.”
This new collection highlights Robertson’s intuitive and improvisational approach to painting. Her studio, filled with vintage magazine clippings, fashion photography, and textile samples, serves as a reservoir of inspiration. She juxtaposes these ‘fragments of memories’ with ethereal colours and abstract forms on her canvases. “Collage gives me a tension… Something to play against, a sharp note against a soft note… Collage can give a graphic sharpness, a printed mark as opposed to a painted one, and I’m interested in the tension this can create.”
Robertson’s paintings evoke nostalgia, memory, and fantastical narratives, lacking definitive beginnings or ends. Her works transcend representation, resonating with rhythm and harmony. Music plays a constant role in her process, infusing her playful and lyrical compositions, built layer by layer and punctuated by recurring motifs and a distinct palette.
Fashion influences are evident in her painted outlines and silhouettes, reminiscent of fashion illustrations. Her figures, always female, inhabit empowering environments. Robertson explores how clothing reflects identity, capturing modern femininity as unfixed, fragmentary, and emotive.
The exhibition will open from June 28 to August 3.
Header: Lorna Robertson, ‘Northern Sky’ 2024, courtesy of the artist.
