BEN EDMUNDS / FELIX TREADWELL, Deeply

Galleria Patricia Armocida is pleased to announce Deeply, the first duo solo show in Italy by Ben Edmunds and Felix Treadwell, curated by Tiziana Castelluzzo, opening on Wednesday January 23, 2019 at 7:00 PM.

The artists will present six large-scale mixed media pieces on canvas.

Ben Edmunds (Norwich, UK, 1994) is interested in the confluence between abstraction and figuration, painting and graphic design, image creation and marketing. In his work he uses a wide variety of techniques associated with crafts and domestic applied arts such as dyeing and embroidery.

He draws inspiration from multiple sources: the writings of game theorists Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois, chillout sessions from London’s historic Ministry of Sound, American postwar abstraction, sports equipment graphics, and leisure activities which are central to his work.

Ben Edmunds’ artistic research reflects the two paces of visual enjoyment of present-day consumers. The fast and accelerated pace represented by shock cords and karabiners on shaped wooden supports contrasts with the slow and contemplative rhythm of his depictions of spaces without borders that are foggy and allude to nature. Ben Edmunds uses thin layers of dye on cotton canvases and through time, the colors become deep and rich, shifting in different lights, atmospheres, and moods.

Felix Treadwell's (Maidstone, UK, 1992) work addresses the impact Internet culture is having on younger generations, modifying their interactions and relationships. The identity they present is no longer just physical and real, but virtual and intangible.

Treadwell portrays the isolation and vulnerability of teenagers, poised between insecurity and conformity, making the fears teenagers feel and the fears their parents see in them, concrete.

The young English artist, born and raised during the influx of Japanese media of the 90s, embraces a style that echoes the postwar Japanese style, juxtaposing well-characterized figures in pure Japanese kawaii ("cute" in Japanese) style and blurred comic strip scenarios, which invite the viewer to reach a more obscure and profound understanding.

Thanks to the use of an airbrush, which lends softness and fragility to his subjects, Treadwell defines a sort of narrative collage, creating a story around his characters who perform simple daily activities.

Ben Edmunds (Norwich, 1994, UK) lives and works in London where he received a BA with Honors in Painting at Wimbledon College of Art in 2016, and an MA in Painting at Royal College of Art in 2018.

In 2014 and 2015, he was shortlisted for the Prunella Clough Scholarship, in 2016 he won the Aidan Threlfall Scholarship, in 2018 he was shortlisted for the Red Mansion Art Prize and won the Hine Painting Prize.

Some recent solo shows: Lost Horizons, Noble Studios, London, UK, 2017; KICK OFF, Carousel, London, UK, 2017; Ludo, The Front Room Deptford, London, UK, 2015.

Selected group shows: Deeply, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milan, 2019; Les Mains Dans Les Poches, Pierre Poumet, Bordeaux, France, 2018; Show 2018, Royal College of Art, London, UK, 2018; All You Can See, Rizzuto Gallery, Palermo, Italy, 2018; Testing 1>2, Unit 3 Gallery, London, UK, 2018; East Wing Biennial 13, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, UK, 2018; Thumbnails, Hockney Gallery, London, UK, 2018; Papercuts, Transition Gallery, London Outpost Members Show, Outpost, Norwich, UK, 2017; Image Aggregate, Royal College of Art, London, UK, 2017; Work in Progress Interim Exhibition 2017, Royal College of Art, London, UK, 2017; Recent Graduates Exhibition, The Affordable Art Fair Battersea, Battersea, UK, 2016; Wimbledon College of Arts Degree Show 2016, London, UK, 2016; Intersection, Hoxton Arches, London, UK, 2016; Lines of Enquiry, Buster Mantis, Deptford, London, UK, 2016; Spring Break! Two man show with Harry Bland, Wimbledon College of Arts, London, UK, 2016; Hans Brinker Budget Trophy, Hans Brinker, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2015; The Blank Back of a Sign, The Front Room Deptford, London, UK, 2015; PARK, Cannizaro Park, London, UK, 2015.

Felix Treadwell (Maidstone, 1992, UK) lives and works in London where he received a BA in Painting from Camberwell College of Arts in 2015, and an MA in Painting from Royal College of Art in 2018. In 2014 he was the HIX Award Winner.

He completed two residencies: at Kyoto Seika University, Japan in 2014 and at L21 Gallery, Palma Mallorca, Spain in 2018.

Some recent solo shows: Dark Age, L21 Gallery, Palma Mallorca, Spain, 2018; Rupert and Friends, Union Gallery, Bethnal Green, London, UK, 29017.

Selected group shows: Deeply, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milan, 2019; Fatal Attraction, Thames-Side Studios, London, UK, 2018; Hand Luggage, Pierre Pourmet, Bordeaux, France, 2018; Floored, Camberwell Space, London, UK, 2018; Union Gallery, London Art Fair, London, UK, 2018; Bloomberg New Contemporaries, Block 336, London, UK, 2018; Bloomberg New Contemporaries, BALTIC Centre of Contemporary Art, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 2017; Good Good, Double Good, Lewisham Art House, London, UK, 2017; Baesquit, The Benevolent Association of Excellent Solutions, Deptford, UK, 2017; WIPWIPWIP, Royal College of Art, London, UK, 2017; A Face Like Yours, APT Gallery, Deptford, London, UK, 2016;pet rocks, Carousel Upstairs, Marylbone, London, UK, 2016; Hans Brinker Painting Prize, Hans Brinker, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2014; Young International Contemporary Art, Kyoto, Japan, 2014.