04 Jun 2013

Gallery Elena Shchukina presents new paintings by BP Portrait award nominee Paul Wright

Paul Wright is best known for his portraiture. A nominee for the BP Portrait Award, even his interior scenes and still lifes have the feeling of portraiture, as he attempts to capture the 'life' of an object; yet the medium is a key part of his message too. Every brushstroke is not only visible, but so prominent as almost to overshadow the subject matter. Paint, for Wright, is highly physical. Thus we see figures and objects as if through a mesh of colourful strokes. Faces are rendered in an almost cubist fashion, while greyscale or flashes of brilliant colour are used to accentuate age and features.

' After training as an Illustrator, I have spent the last 15 years developing a painterly language through which I seek to capture a vitality beyond the establishment of a mere 'likeness' to the subject, ' says Wright. 'Whilst I appreciate the importance of the individual being recognisable, the subjects are glimpsed rather than exposed, their inner selves hinted at but ultimately inscrutable.

'Though I often work on a large, potentially imposing scale, the work remains approachable through fluency of brush mark and a rich palette. The spaces the subjects inhabit are often indeterminate, providing an atmosphere that allows for ambiguity of psychological state. The subjects retain their integrity and yet a sense of intimacy is evoked'

This exhibition of Paul Wright's latest work is one of a series leading up to the opening of Gallery Elena Shchukina in Mayfair, in September 2013.

For information or images, contact Pauline Stobbs at Theresa Simon & Partners 020 7734 4800 pauline@theresasimon.com

Listings information

Paul Wright
3-8 June 2013

Gallery 27
27 Cork Street
London
W1S 3NG

Nearest tube station: Green Park, Piccadilly Circus

www.galleryelenashchukina.com

Notes to editors

Gallery Elena Shchukina is a new concept space, exhibiting fine art alongside furniture, lighting, rugs and decorative art. Founder Elena Shchukina studied design in Moscow, London and Milan before deciding to set up a space that would offer a holistic vision for interiors. Her eponymous gallery will be located in Lees Place, in Mayfair, and will launch in September 2013.

Paul Wright was born in Leicester in 1973. Wright trained at Loughborough college of art and design an Falmouth School of Art. He has exhibited widely both in the UK and abroad, and his work features in international collections.