I Paint Outside The Lines
Curated by Thom Oosterhof
9 -14 October 2023
Friday Opening Party: 13 October, 6 – 9pm
Candid House Projects is thrilled to announce its newest exhibition ‘ I Paint Outside The Lines’ in collaboration with curator Thom Oosterhof. The exhibiting artists are Gioele Amaro, Hugo Capron, Michele Fletcher, Elise Lafontaine, Kyara Van Meel, Giulia Messina, Jemima Murphy, Wenhai Ning, Matt Phillips, Nevena Prijic, Kolja Kärtner Sainz, Katherine Qiyu Su, Brach Tiller and Xiuching Tsay.
In 1907, when Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Auguste Herbin presented their first “cubist” paintings at the Salon d’Automne, they opened a door that has never been shut since. Art could take on another form than the purely figurative one it historically had. As artists pushed the boundaries of this new idea, paintings became fully abstract, at times completely monochrome, at times completely bare, burned or slashed. Some called it the death of painting. Flash forwards a century later, painting is still alive, perhaps more now than ever. Movements have arguably been lost, giving way to pure artistic freedom. No need to follow your peers, join a school of theory or write manifestos. Yet, two terms have remained and emerged as the main labels for the art world to divide its artists: abstract vs figurative. This extreme division has existed since abstraction became the mainstream form of painting after the second world war.
As neither one dominates the art world, it is our belief that in the last decade a new wave of artists has emerged, artists that have decided to exist in neither category, outside the lines. These painters are inspired by the tangible, by everyday life and experiences. They thrive on what’s real and concrete. However, they choose to represent it in a less figurative way. They blur the image, or, like the cubists, some simplify its representation, and others make the interpretation more complex. Some are driven by pure emotion, others by intense research. Each process is different, but they are linked together, connected by their independence, by their freedom and ability to remain unlabelled. The abstract and the figurative both live in harmony, dialogue or conflict within their works, but they are both present and absent from their paintings at the same time. A chosen limbo, full of exploration, courage, and deprived of boundaries. Borderless.
This exhibition is for them.
Candid House Projects (CHP) is a London based gallery and art advisory. Established in 2020 by Nicole Hunter and Raphael Tecucianu, CHP has curated a series of collaborative exhibitions with artists and galleries to showcase historical, established and emerging contemporary artists. Each exhibition is designed to draw the dialogue and artistic thread connecting post-war art to the emerging artists and contemporary artworks of today.
With experience working in both primary and secondary markets, the CHP team strives to make art collecting seamless and enjoyable. Whether you are buying your first artwork, developing your collection or considering selling a work you already own, CHP is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and attain the best possible result for your collecting journey.
Although CHP’s primary focus is on the collector’s experience, we also believe that art is intrinsic to our universal cultural heritage and that it is a crucial element of our shared humanity. To exemplify this, we focus on collaborative exhibition projects with non-profit organisations striving to make our world a better place.
Thom Oosterhof is an independent curator based in Amsterdam. With a focus on ultra contemporary painting and early / mid career artists, Thom’s previous projects have explored ideas such as the power of familiarisation and recognition; bravery and fearlessness in the artistic practice; vulnerability and how it manifests in a painting; our relationship to time as a brittle anchor and many others.
Having exhibited extensively in Amsterdam and Barcelona, he has upcoming curatorial projects in London, Milan, Berlin and Paris. Previous projects include ‘A Moment’, ‘Have We Met?’, ‘In Motion’, ‘Firestarter’, ‘The Garden’, ‘Nothing To Hide’ and ‘Here, and Long Ago’.
