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Lost Signal
Hiscox Art Projects presents new paintings by Paul Archard
26 October 2007 - 4 January 2008
Private view: Thursday 25 October 18.30hrs - 20.30hrs
Flies mating, a three-legged dog, a derelict pylon and road kill are amongst
the subjects of Paul Archard's upcoming exhibition at Hiscox Art Projects.
Paul Archard's paintings have simple line drawings as their starting point.
They come from nature observed and the man-made elements that are embedded
in it. Using pale and silvery tones, the lines of the drawings are built
up using impasto paint, giving the work a textural depth that relates
to Archard's roots as a sculptor. The muted palette and the quietness
of the paintings are an escape from the over-stimulation most of us experience
on a daily basis.
Archard's paintings share some of their monochromatic simplicity with
the early 20th century photographer Karl Blossfeldt's black and white
photographs of plants. Other influences range from Bruegal, to Edward
Burra and Oliver Postgate.
Paul Archard was born in London in 1964. He studied sculpture at Chelsea
School of Art, where he was tutored by Helen Chadwick. He worked as a
set designer and construction manager on warehouse parties and art events
in bus shelters as well as hip hop shows at the Brixton Academy. As an
art director he worked for various directors at Ridley Scott Associates
in London and Los Angeles. With the sculptor David Mach and the photographer
David Bailey, he created an installation at RAF Northholt for the UK launch
of Vanity Fair. In 1991 he moved to California where he started directing
videos and making paintings. Archard now works as an artist and filmmaker
and divides his time between London and Dorset. Recent group shows include
Salon 2007 which was curated by Flora Fairbairn.
Hiscox Art Projects is curated by Elliot Mcdonald. He is also the buyer
for Hiscox's corporate art collection, and with Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst,
runs Reconstruction, responsible for the annual outdoor contemporary sculpture
event at Sudeley Castle. In October they will stage an exhibition in London
of taxidermy by the artist Polly Morgan.
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For further information please contact:
Anna Cusden
Kallaway
020 7221 7883
anna.cusden@kallaway.co.uk
Rebecca Olejnik
Hiscox
020 7448 6332
rebecca.olejnik@hiscox.com
Exhibition Information
Hiscox Art Café, 1 Great St Helen's, London, EC3A 6HX
Monday - Friday 0900hrs - 1700hrs
Hiscox and Contemporary Art
Hiscox has a long and established association with contemporary art
and is well-known for owning, collecting and insuring fine art. Hiscox
was one of the first UK insurers to offer art insurance as a stand-alone
insurance class for private collectors, museums and galleries. Driven
by Chairman Robert Hiscox, the company has an impressive contemporary
art collection that features over 50 artists including Damien Hirst, Richard
Billingham, Marc Quinn, Mat Collishaw, Keith Coventry, Gregory Crewdson,
Mark Wallinger and Cecily Brown. The collection is on permanent display
in Hiscox offices around the world and is regularly updated.
Hiscox Art Projects is a contemporary exhibition space situated within
the café of Hiscox's London office which aims to make contemporary
collections and exhibitions readily accessible to those living and working
in the City, as well as the wider art community. In addition to this,
Hiscox enjoys uncovering and encouraging emerging talent and sponsors
degree shows at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and the Master of Fine
Art Degree Show at the Glasgow School of Art.
For further information, go to www.hiscox.com/artprojects
About Hiscox
Hiscox, headquartered in Bermuda, is a specialist insurance group
listed on the London Stock Exchange. There are three main underwriting
parts of the Group - Hiscox Global Markets, Hiscox UK and Europe, and
Hiscox International. Hiscox Global Markets underwrites mainly internationally
traded business in the London Market - generally large or complex business
which needs to be shared with other insurers or needs the international
licences of Lloyd's. Hiscox UK and Hiscox Europe offer a range of specialist
insurance for professionals and business customers, as well as high net
worth individuals. Hiscox International includes operations in Bermuda,
Guernsey and the USA. Hiscox Insurance Company Ltd, Hiscox Underwriting
Ltd and Hiscox Syndicates Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial
Services Authority.
For further information, visit www.hiscox.com
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