Dean Melbourne’s Garland, presented by Coates and Scarry, Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1, until 19th July
It is not surprising that the young artist Dean Melbourne has been shown in the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition three times, including this year and so it is fitting that he has first solo London show nearby.
Indeed in this show, curated by Coates and Scarry, is White Phosphor while at the RA is the “sister”, painting Black Phosphor. There is a sense of exploration of “internal contradictions” in the works that make up the show Garland. Light and darkness, ancient and modern, masculine and feminine, the known and unknown are combined in many of the pictures and certainly in some a sense of Arcadia, with hidden “secrets” can almost be glimpsed by the observer.
He creates a sense of magic and allure that intrigues.
All images are copright
Tim Forrest's E & A 