A Meditation on Colour

Known for creating minimalist colour field paintings, Ruth Pastine constructs canvases with seamless gradients of complimentary hues, with colour being the soul focus of the canvas. Centring her work upon the relativity of space, colour and light, her vibrant paintings explore the phenomenology of colour by reducing it to its simplest form. Pastine’s luminous artworks are built up with layer upon layer of brushstrokes, with each canvas taking months to complete.

Renowned for her faceless portraits of celebrities, Coco Dávez’s artwork stands to prove that colour and form alone can create a recognisable depiction of an icon. Portraying everyone from artists to musicians, Dávez utilises the colour association we have with certain celebrities to embody the identity of her simply constructed sitters. With the kaleidoscopic colour palette of The Beatles representing their psychedelic presence as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the rich purple suit denoting the royal status of Queen Elizabeth II, Dávez proves that colour and identity are intrinsically linked.

Exploring the semiotic relationship between the meaning of language and its visual form, RETNA creates vast paintings, each coded with their own specific meaning. Emulating the shapes and arrangement of a global range of languages, the artist’s work also incorporates free-flowing brushstrokes that fluidly adorn the canvas. RETNA uses a range of vibrant colours to capture different emotions, from fiery ochres and deep purples to royal blues and vivid greens.