London-based artist Ben Slow is opening his new solo show ‘A line is drawn’ at Jealous Gallery in London this Thursday!
Ben Slow’s solo exhibition ‘A line is drawn’ features new original works, created and re-created over the past year. The title signifies the artist’s own battle with his practice, breaking away from the work he has become comfortable and synonymous with, and creating truly expressive works, which have evolved through Slow’s persistence and dedication in pushing himself outside of his comfort zone.
Slow quickly became a well-known name in the art world thanks to his large-scale and commanding black and white murals across London. Being continuously fascinated and inspired by chance meetings of colourful characters, his street work focused on celebrating local personalities, immortalising them in the locations they’re closely connected with.
Made up of images personally collected over the past few years, this new body of work shows a move in direction for the artist. The show is heavily influenced from Ben’s personal battle with anxiety and OCD, in which Slow has never before engaged in his practice. Moving away from the conventional portraits he was previously known for creating, here the paintings hang between the abstract and formed. Slow lets the way he feels on a daily basis affect the paintings. The viewer can physically see the mood the artist is in, the level of anxiety he is feeling by the marks he makes; literally tearing through the paper at times. Pushing the paper to the point where it hangs on the verge of being completed and almost destroyed; it has become a therapeutic way to channel his health problems. However, Slow still holds back a little, aware that he is creating something to be looked at and enjoyed, seeking to strike a balance between order and chaos.
‘A line is drawn’ will showcase this honest new body of work for the first time to the public and cements an important time in this young artists career. The beautiful portraits, on paper and wood, will sit alongside an exclusive new hand-finished edition, printed in Jealous Print Studios.
The opening is on the 28th September and the show will run until the 1st October 2017. Discover photos of Liam Keown during a recent studio visit!
28th September – 1st October 2017
Private View: Thursday 28th September 6.30 – 8.30pm
Jealous East, 53 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT