Amelia’s Magazine | Art exhibition: States of Reverie


Inside and Outside of Landscape by Chinwook Kim

At first glance, check the seven artists making up the ‘States of Reverie’ exhibition couldn’t be more different. Colourful, playful paintings from Malgosia Stepnik are set against dreamy oil-paintings by Clare Chapman – contrasting sharply with Wayne Chisnall’s vivid sculptures. But as the title suggests, they all present a version of a ‘State of Reverie’, where the viewer is invited to drift off into a dreamscape.

The surreal drawings by Chinwook Kim merges human beings into the landscape, using soft colours, patterns and curves. It’s hard to tell what the medium is, but the brochure says the South Korean artist has used Chinese ink on paper. It looks like untreated canvas though, creating an organic feel. While very different in outcome, the same can be said for Ann-Marie James’ pencil drawings. London-based James re-works found imagery from anatomy books, and the result is oddly cute, even more so in real life.


Boner (detail) by Ann-Marie James

LG White’s two contributions ended up being my favourites from the show. Hanging side by side in brown frames, the tiny black and white prints by the Dutch artist presents a sort of post-apocalyptic world of humans and angels. ‘Inside a bubble’ shows two lovers who, in view of an angel, have taken their Volkswagen bus into the woods outside the protected city dome for a moment of privacy.


Inside a bubble by LG White

The Scream Gallery drew a crowd for last night’s opening, with patrons spilling onto the pavement for some fresh air in a wonderfully mild January night. The variations between the artworks means there will be something for everyone at ‘States of Reverie’, with another contribution of note coming from Guillermo de Zamacoma. One of the Mexican artist’s photographs shows a woman twirling in the air, surrounded by butterflies amidst the trees. The butterflies in question are endangered Monarchs, says the brochure, native to the Mexican mountains where the shoot took place. It’s comparable to Sam Taylor-Wood’s brilliant self-portraits where she suspended herself using ropes, removing them in post production. Guillermo de Zamacoma’s lady looks like she might actually be leaping in this picture though, although with those shoes that part might have been just a dream.


By Guillermo de Zamacoma. All images are copyright of the artist, courtesy of Scream Gallery.

‘States of Reverie’ shows until 20th February at the Scream Gallery, 34 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QX. For more information see our listing.

Categories ,Ann-Marie James, ,Chinwook Kim, ,Clare Chapman, ,Guillermo de Zamacoma, ,LG White, ,london, ,Malgosia Stepnik, ,Monarch butterfly, ,painting, ,photography, ,Sam Taylor-Wood, ,Scream Gallery, ,sculpture, ,States of Reverie, ,Wayne Chisnall

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