Georgia Gardner Gray

Georgia Gardner Gray’s large paintings are an iridescently eclectic investigation of the female gaze, rebellion and freedom. Presented in unexpected shapes and orientations, her canvases depict dreamy personas amidst the bright but melancholic hues. The artist’s paintary skill is reminiscent of early 20th century French masters, however, her works could not be more contemporary. Gray’s subjects exist within the brutal hierarchy of the public and the private, the digital and the physical: they strive to gain control which escapes them. Her works refuse the established rules and norms of societal elite and give space to punks and vagabonds, indulgence and unadulterated expression. At the same time, a hint of anxiety and loneliness can be traced through her paintings. The artist’s practice continuously recontextualizes and defamiliarises the self and its surroundings, however, in such a pursuit, it resonates with its audience on the most intimate level. ...

Sadie Coles HQ is a London-based contemporary art gallery representing around fifty international artists. The gallery opened in 1997, with an inaugural exhibition of new paintings by American painter John Currin presented in parallel with an offsite show by British artist Sarah Lucas, The Law, at St John Street. This pairing established the international breadth of the gallery's programme, which has since expanded over the past two decades. Since its inception, Sadie Coles HQ has operated from a variety of spaces; most recently mounting offsite shows in Los Angeles and Mayfair in 2020 with a significant new video installation by Martine Syms. In September 2013, Sadie Coles HQ opened its largest space at 62 Kingly Street in Soho, as well as a second space at 1 Davies Street in Mayfair designed by 6a Architects in 2015, and a third space at 8 Bury Street in St James’s in April 2021. ...