From Rebecca Gallo…
Most painters would probably position their vocation at the opposite end of the spectrum to the commercially-driven visual language of logos. Painting is intuitive and no two brushmarks are identical, whereas logos are defined by their infinite reproducibility and recognisability. There are parallels though. Each painter develops their own distinct visual language, complete with repeated forms, colours and supports: signposts and signatures that make their work their own. These visual cues can become as distinct and obvious as a logo in pointing to the hand of a particular artist.
In his latest series of paintings, Peter Atkins retains distinctive markers that make his work instantly identifiable – pre-used surfaces, rich with traces of past lives; abstract forms that draw from familiar and culturally loaded sources – whilst drawing on the actual language of logos. These familiar and suggestive visual symbols are embedded seamlessly into Atkins’ own aesthetic in a series of large-scale paintings on tarpaulin. Grouped by types (sunbursts, apples, eagles, hands, houses), obsolete 1970s logos are writ large and presented for contemplation. What values were they designed to impart? Who came up with them in the first place, and where are they now? Atkins describes the logos as ‘signposts from the past leading us into the future’, reminding us of the rich potential of the past in providing ideas to propel us forward.
Until September 13
Martin Browne Contemporary, Paddington
Pic: Peter Atkins, Obsolete Diamond Logos c1970s, 2015, acrylic on tarpaulin, 120 x 120 cm.
