Charles Avery: a wall, a bridge, an arch, a hat, a side-show, a square circle, a group of friends, and two one-armed snakes

GRIMM is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new works by Charles Avery (b. 1973 in Oban UK) at our gallery in New York. 

For this presentation, Charles Avery expands on his ongoing project that describes an imagined Island and its inhabitants. The exhibition comprises several large scale drawings, a bronze sculptural installation, other smaller objects and works on paper. All elements and ideas for what Avery has referred to as his “unresolved fiction”.

Two huge panoramas depict islanders fishing for eels – the mainstay of their diet – under saturated skies and in the shadow of a gilded bridge. Another scene presents a troupe performing an open-air sideshow around which a group of spectators has gathered.

Through these and other drawings Avery offers a snapshot of the lives, architecture and culture of The Islanders. The contrast between the refined detail of the diverse cast of characters, as well as that of the man-made forms, with the loose, dream-like strokes that describe the natural world is a characteristic feature of Avery’s work.

The centerpiece of the show is an enigmatic looping form that invites the viewer to walk amongst it. This arcane object could be imagined as a time piece, a henge, a temple or the entrance to a shopping center. 

With this ambitious project Avery presents the viewer with an opportunity to accompany the artist in his thought process of imaging a world brick by brick, as one theme after another unfolds.