CV
I am returning Abstract painting from near extinction to contemporary consciousness.
My fast action paintings involve choreography of rhythm and gesture, which allude to the sparse electronic music I listen to. Music provides a pathway to sub-consciousness. These paintings are a record of time, the fleeting moments in which they were made.”
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Rufus Knight-Webb lives and works in South London and represents the true avant-garde of abstract painting with his highly evolved, dramatic, gestural and rhythmic paintings that are the product of two decades of sustained invention, culminating in a new form that could be called Techno Expressionism.
He has worked with leading figures in contemporary art, including Michael Craig-Martin and Alan Davie, who continue to have a profound influence on his development as a painter.
By the late 1980’s Knight-Webb had lost faith in Modernism, and was seeking a new impetus for painting. The dawn of the Acid House scene and the advent of electronic music presented new possibilities to Knight-Webb, inspiring him to originate a totally contemporary form of Techno Expressionism. Knight-Webb began a series of works in fluorescent acrylic that revealed a further dimension under UV light. What appears as one painting during the day, metamorphoses into a new work at night. These new Space Paintings were a hybrid of abstract forms, geometric patterns and psychedelic illustrations of cinematic space epics such as Stanley Kubrick’s “2001”. Hi work appears on many iconic record sleeves of the 90’s, such as Derrick May’s “Innovator”.
Around 1997, Knight-Webb started a series of highly futuristic Paintings. These UV illuminated paintings demonstrate the seduction of abstracted form; with minimal illustrative content, they aim at aesthetic economy. The ‘Earthy’ feminine shapes hint at the surface and folds of the human body. Knight-Webb has created and patented a unique UV lighting system to illuminate these paintings.
Knight-Webb works intensively on two contrasting series of paintings, The ‘Action Paintings’ and ‘Light Paintings’, and has continued to expand on the essential duality between the assertive emotional push of abstract expressionism, and the cool technical aestheticism of the more illustrative ‘Light Paintings’. In these abstract works, the artist returns again and again to his original muse: electronic music. Back in his studio, and working to a soundtrack of minimal music by American composer Saul Stokes, he is preparing the groundwork for a one hit action painting, in an on-going quest to capture the euphoric moment of spontaneity and conception in painting.
Address47 Beckwith Rd, London SE24 9LQ
Telephone0207 274 8953 / 07939 530326
1961 Born / Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK
NationalityUK / Canada
OccupationArtist
Education
1983 - 1986Winchester School of Art: BA Hons Fine Art / Painting
1981 - 1982Hereford College of Art and Design: Foundation in Art / Design
School
1979 - 1981Marling Grammar School, Glos: A-level: Art, Hist of Art, Physics, Biol
1978 - 1979Symonsdsbury College Dorset: 9 O-Levels
Awards
1999 Visual Arts North East / New Collaborations Grant
1994 Arts Council of Great Britain / Combined Arts Award
1992 South West Arts / Awards to individual artists
Arts / work
1999-2004Gimpel Fils Gallery / Manager of gallery stock and collection
1998-1999Michael Craig-Martin / Artists assistant
1997-1998Technician / Victoria Miro Gallery, Cork St London
1996-1997Assistant Technician / Waddinton Galleries, Cork St, London
1993-1995Established fine art publishing company ‘Bornagain Publishing posters
Teaching
1990-1991Painting and design / Paul Cook Trust Summer School / Swindon Wilts
1987-1988Head of Foundation studies / Symondsbury School of Art, Dorset
Private collections and recent commissions
2005 Big Life Music, commission
2005 Origin, London, purchase
2004 The Suite, Mannheim: 30m mural Commission
2003 JP Yonan Switzerland: Purchase
2003 HSBC Bank: Purchase
2002 Meryll Lynch: Purchase
2002 Rolex: Purchase
2001 64 Knightsbridge, London: Commission
2001 British Telecom PLC, London: Commission
2001 The Panoramic Building, Vauxhall, London: Purchase
2000 Arts Council of Great Britain: Commission
2000 Rover UK: Purchase
2000 Goodwood Park: Purchase
1998 Harvey Nichols, London: Purchase
1998 Sony Music: Purchase
1995 Transmat Records Detroit: Purchase
Exhibitions
2007 Chelsea Arts Club
2007 Sladers Yard, Dorset
2006 Chelsea gallery, palo Alto, Sanfrancisco, USA
2006 AAF New York / Mark Jason Gallery
2006 Mark Jason Gallery, Bell St, London
2006 Art London / Mark Jason Gallery
2005 Art Gallery of Windsor; Ontario Canada / Movement
2005 Art Event Antwerp
2005 Jason Fine Arts, Bond St, London / group exhibition
2005 Bancroft Fine Art, Knightsbridge London / Group exhibition
2005 Kunste Halle Mannheim / u-v installation
2004 Orr and Rosenfalch London EC2 / Group show
2004 Bancroft Fine Art investments / Alternative Investment Fair London
2004 John Davies Gallery, Gloucestershire / Summer Group Show
2004 Artoose Hampstead / On The Wall London
2004 i-tre gallery Pimlico, London SW1 / OM
2004 The Suite, Mannheim GDR / Psychadelic performance in fluorescent u-v light
2004 Art London / John Davies Gallery
2003 ‘New Ultra-violet Paintings’ The Great Eastern Hotel, London
2003 “Orange’ Brompton Cemetary, London / light paintings
2003 Art 2003 London / Mark Jason Fine Arts
2002 Artoos Gallery Hampstead London
2002 Century Gallery London E2: The Sea Absract
2000 Chichester Open Exhibition: Three small seascapes
1999 Atlantis Gallery Brick Lane, London , "Baby 2000"
title: “Too Much Mascara"
Triptych. Other artists showing: Michael Craig-Martin, Anthony Gormley.
1999 NGCA, Sunderland VANE: "Node 5 + 5"
title: "Every 15 minutes": Collaboration with Ally Wallace.
an installation using the gallery's existing tannoy and lighting.
Other artists: Tomoko Takahashi + Gordon Doulton . William Heard etc.
Funded by Northern Arts
1999 60, Long Lane, London SE1 "Location, Location, Location"
title: "Underwater Sunlight": Flooded stairwell illuminated
through reinforced underwater windows.
shelter. Other artists showing: Ally Wallace, Patrick Beveridge
1999 ICA London "Space 1999" Series of Ultra-violet paintings in the
Reynolds room.
1999 Walton Contemporary Art, London. "Third Person Singular"
Ultra-violet illuminated paintings, following the movement of human body.
Other artists showing: Rory Nugent . Jaque Chaucat
1999 Booth Clibborn Books "We Love You" Book & CD
title: "Silent Revolution": Collaboration with detroit musician Derrick May.
Other artists collaborations : Tracy Emin / Boy George, Sam Taylor-Wood
1998 The Bunker, Mannheim University
Twenty Ultra-violet paintings exhibited in a WW2 German Bunker
under Mannheim Castle Germany
1998 Harvey Nichols, London title: "Silent Revolution"
Ultra-violet paintings installed for one year in the Foundation Restaurant.
1998 60. Long lane "Blackout" Light & Space art
"Underwater Sunlight": Also showing a series of Ultra-violet paintings.
Other artists showing: Andrew Gifford, Ally Wallace, Patric Beveridge,
Anna Hill, etc
1998 Lewes Festival "Odintune Place 1998"
title: "Whispering in stereo": sound installation of whispering
voices in woodland.
Other artists showing: Greville Worthington, William Horner etc.
1997 Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Ultra-violet installation in bar.
1997 Utopia Studios, London "Escape from Planet Pop"
Series of Ultra-violet reactive paintings, exhibited in half light /
evening light
Other artists showing: Kit Glaisyer, David Rage, Christian Hopper
1996 Elms Lesters painting rooms, London W1. "Technocolour"
30 ultra-violet paintings in the dark
1994 Oriel House Gallery, Richmond: Artist of the month
title: "Mensa 3" abstract paintings containing the cremated ashes of
a friend (Mensa).
1994 Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Gallery, London
1994 South London Open, South London Gallery
1993 Ministry of Sound, London “It Is What It Is”. Ultra-violet paintings
and sound-track
1992 Tresor Night Club Berlin
1992 Limelight Club New York
1992 Trancefusion London
1988 National Portrait Gallery, BP Portrait awards
1988 “New Talent” Southern Arts touring exhibition; Winchester
Gallery, Southampton City Museum, Reading Museum and Art
Gallery, Brighton University
