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Featured Media

Abstract painting
Sweet Season, Peter Davies, 2023, acrylic and pencil on canvas, 41 x 41 cm

©the artist

Abstract painting
I'm listening, Peter Davies, 2023, acrylic and pencil on canvas, 51 x 65.9 cm

©the artist

abstract painting
Burning heart, Peter Davies, 2023, acrylic and pencil on canvas, 46 x 61 cm

©the artist

abstract painting
Lost Love, Peter Davies, 2023, acrylic and pencil on canvas, 25.5 x 20.5 cm

©the artist

Slade School of Fine Art
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT


Biography

Born 1970, Edinburgh, Scotland
Lives and works in London, UK

Education
1994-1996
MA Fine Art Goldsmiths College University of London, UK

1989-1992
BA (Hons) Fine Art University of Brighton, UK

Solo Exhibitions

2015

RITES, The Approach, London, UK

2014

FUNCTION/RITUAL, Vladimir Resation Roitfeld, NY, USA

2012

INVOCATION, The Approach, London, UK

2009
The Epoch of Perpetual Happiness, The Approach, London, UK

2001
New Paintings, Gagosian Gallery, London, UK

1998
New Paintings, The Approach, London, UK

Group Exhibitions

2018

Chamber of Maiden Thought, Raydale Dower's House, Glasgow, UK

2017

20 Years Show, The Approach, London, UKAll Day Breakfast, curated by Alastair MacKinven and Matt Copson, Reading International at Munchees, Reading, UKForm & Volume, curated by Francesca Gavin, CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden

2016

SUMMERZCOOL, David Shelton Gallery, Houston, USA

2015

The Decorator and The Thief, NGCA, Sunderland, UK

2014

Painting About Painting, Simmons & Simmons, London

2013

There Will Be New Rules Next Week, curated by Graham Domke, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, UK

Merci Mercy, co-curated by Christine Messineo and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, 980 Madison Avenue, New York, USA

Surface, The Gallery@The Civic, Barnsley, UK

2012

The Indiscipline of Painting International Abstraction from the 1960's to Now, Mead Gallery, University of Warwick, UK

2011
The Indiscipline of Painting International Abstraction from the 1960’s to Now, Tate St. Ives, UK

2010
Art, curated by Michael Craig-Martin, Galerie Haas Und Fuchs, Berlin, Germany

2009
The Making Of Art, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany

2008

Starstruck: Contemporary Art and the Cult of Celebrity, The New Art Gallery, Walsall, UK

Research Interests

Peter Davies's recent work pursues his continued curiosity with painting and desire to arrive at a distilled and reduced idea of it. Against the backdrop of the legacy of conceptualism, and a repeated questioning of the validity of the activity of painting he is presently making hard-edged abstract paintings derived from paper collages projected onto raw canvas. The use of tearing and cutting creates a resistance which is different to the results of drawing a line. Whilst the paintings have a suggestion of gesture, the technique creates a distance from and a criticality to traditional gestural painting. The placing of the paper to make the collages is akin to the movement of materials in making sculptures. And the throwaway nature of the source material reflects the significance of abject detritus within the contemporary world.

Recent exhibitions include RITES, The Approach, London; FUNCTION/RITUAL, Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, New York, USA; All Day Breakfast, Munchees, Reading; Form & Volume, CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden; SUMMERZCOOL, David Shelton Gallery, Houston, USA; The Decorator and The Thief, NGCA, Sunderland.

Exhibitions

PREMONITION
2018 - The Approach

Solo exhibition of new collages

RITES
2015 - The Approach

Abstract Art
2015 - The Approach London, UK; CF Hill, Stockholm, Sweden

FUNCTION/RITUAL
2014 - Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld

Invocation
2012 - The Approach, 47 Approach Road, London, E2 9LY

New paintings

The Indiscipline of Painting
2012 - Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL

Important international abstract painting survey exhibition

"Indiscipline of Painting"
2011 - Tate St Ives, UK & tour

"Art"
2010 - Galerie Hass Und Fuchs, Berlin, Germany

"THE EPOCH OF PERPETUAL HAPPINESS"
2009 - The Approach, London, UK

"THE MAKING OF ART"
2009 - Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany

Idiolects
2008 - Brown Gallery, Lower Ground Floor, 42 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6BP

"Starstruck: Contemporary Art and the Cult of Celebrity"
2008 - The New Art Gallery Walsall, UK

John Moores 22, Exhibition of Contemporary Painting
2002 - The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Tailsliding
2001 - Bergen Centre for Contemporary Art, Norway and touring

Patterns Between Object and Arabesque
2001 - Kunsthallen Brandts Klaedefabrik, Odense, Denmark

Peter Davies, New Paintings
2001 - Gagosian Gallery, London

Publications

A Hedonist's Guide to Art
- Book , HG2 2010/12/01

Art and text
- Book , Black Dog Publishing 2009/08/25

The Indiscipline of Painting
- Book